Realization
by Squirt Sapphire
Summary: What is an honorable ninja to do when he wants to break an arranged marriage? What if that girl threatens to not only take his life, but Pucca's as well? What does she want? Final Chapter up
1. Garu's true feelings

Okay, so... I don't know what to say, I haven't uploaded anything in a while. I apologize in advance for any grammer errors, I have a new keyboard and it makes it hard to type, and some keys won't work at all ...

This was inspired by Everyday Love by Rascal Flatts.

I already (re)posted this at www.squirtsapphire. but I decided to post it here as well :)

HEY LOOK. Disclaimer. I don't own Pucca. Nor Garu. K? Thanks.

Realization

I woke up to a sunny morning in Sooga Village. My stomach growled, and I walked into my kitchen to find something to eat. Mio was still asleep on the floor. Today I had the usual training and hanging out with Abyo to do. Just like every other day...

Suddenly I heard a giggle. I froze.

Instead of tackling me to the ground, Pucca had decided that a simple hug was enough today. I didn't even try to struggle; there was no point when it came to Pucca's hugs.

'I really need to get new locks on the doors. She keeps breaking in.' I thought to myself. I grinned as I realized Pucca could still easily break in, no matter how many locks I got. She could just as easily punch a hole through the wall to get in.

A gong rang in the distance, distracting me from my thoughts, and Pucca turned, grumbling, as she heard it. She was being called to make morning deliveries for the Goh-Rong. She gave me another quick hug and ran off.

I sat dazed for a moment, as I watched the cloud of dust behind Pucca as she ran. I realized something, but I seemed to already know before. It didn't surprise me as I thought about it.

'The day wouldn't be a good one unless I got a hug from Pucca,' I thought. As much as other people thought I hated it, I really did enjoyed being around Pucca. That was pretty much the only reason I stayed in Sooga Village. I could leave anytime I wanted, even with the 'Honor' that I was supposed to regain for my family. The dishonorable thing had been done centuries ago, no one remembered what it was. Atleast, no one ever mentioned it in Sooga Village.

'Which is good, because I don't remember either'

My thoughts went back to Pucca. She just liked to tackle me once a day, and sometimes kiss me. Okay, honestly she kissed me everyday. But I couldn't complain. It was good ninja training. And I guess I enjoyed it. Not that I would admit that!

Every afternoon I would walk to the Goh-Rong Restaurant. Pucca always brought me the food, since she would be back from food delivery by then. She always knew what I wanted to eat. She was good at her job.

As soon as it started getting dark, I would be on my way home. Some nights, Pucca would walk with me, just to make sure I was okay. Me? Okay? I could fend for myself. But I enjoyed the silent walk together. The moment I walked in, I would turn around to shut the door. She would give me a quick kiss and run off back to the Goh-Rong. Sometimes I felt bad for making her walk alone.

I couldn't help but laugh at myself. Pucca? Pucca didn't need help. I was one of the best Ninjas in Sooga Village, and Pucca? She could beat me, even if she wasn't trying!

Soon the dust cloud disappeared, and the sun rose above the bamboo trees. I decided to go to the Goh-Rong for breakfast. Pucca would be happy if I did that.

I grinned and clapped my hands. Mio woke up and meowed. He jumped up and we walked to the Goh-Rong through the silence of the bamboo trees.

'He only goes to see Yani,' I grinned again. And I only go to see Pucca.

Okay... So... What did you think?? I know its not as good as some other stories on here, or atleast I don't think so... But hey, I write to hear your opinions, so review!! :D

Squirt


	2. Pucca's concern

Okay, so I decided to make a second chapter. Why? Because someone asked me to, and I'm bored. So here is Pucca's side of the story, after she left Garu's house to go to work (from chapter 1.) I typed it up pretty quickly and haven't looked over it a lot, so I'm sorry in advance for any grammar mistakes. I think this is longer than chapter 1 though!!

PS. MY CAT HAD KITTENS!

Disclaimer. I don't own Pucca (DUH. If I did, Garu would learn to talk, and go out with Pucca already!)

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I grumbled as I heard the Goh-Rong gong ring. I was being called to work. And I had just got into Garu's house to give him a hug. I didn't want to annoy him too much. Before I turned to go, I gave Garu another big hug. I smiled as I turned. He stopped trying to get away when I hugged him.

I took off, dodging bamboo trees and other various plants, trying to get the Goh-Rong before I would be scolded for being late. Before I knew it, I was in Sooga Village, running down the main road that lead to my destination.

'Almost!...Almost!' I thought in my head. I was almost to the steps. Then the gong rang a second time.

'Uhoh…' I was late. I had just opened the door as the gong finished ringing.

"PUCCA!" I flinched. I was going to get in trouble this time. I sprinted to the back of the restaurant, where the kitchen was.

"Mhmm?" I mumbled. My three guardians looked at me as I walked in.

"Pucca! This is the third time you've been late, just this week!" Linguini said, turning back to the noodles..

"Yes. What is so important that you must be late?" Ho said. My feet became suddenly interesting and I looked at them to avoid the stares of my uncles.

"It's Garu again, isn't it?" Uncle Dumpling asked quietly. Without even looking up, I could feel my cheeks heat up. Uncle Dumpling just gave a quiet chuckle. When I decided to look up, he was just smiling.

"I guess you weren't that late. We'll let you off this time, Pucca. But try not to be any later than you were today, Okay?" Ho said. I rapidly nodded; They were letting me off easy.

"Go to work Pucca!" Linguini said and gave me a paper of who asked for deliveries. I gave another quick nod as I grabbed the keys to my delivery scooter. Dada helped me carry the packages, and I opened the back of the scooter to set the food safely inside. Dada tripped, but I caught the food before it could spill.

"Thanks Dada" I quietly said. He gave me a quick smile before walking back into the Goh-Rong. I smiled as I started my scooter. I pushed the pedal and I was off in a cloud of dust.

I looked at the list of people. There were only a few people to deliver to. And the Vagabonds hadn't ordered anything, so it would be a quick deliver as well.Then I could be done, and walk around town or hang out with Ching. If I was lucky, maybe Ching would want to find Abyo, and Abyo would be with Garu. I giggled at the thought. He just wasn't quick enough to get away, which was part of the fun. I knew he didn't mind. If he did, he would leave.

'Wouldn't he?' I asked myself.

Then I started to think. He _had _to stay in Sooga Village, because he _had_ to restore honor to his family. He couldn't leave. Not even if he really wanted to. Not even if I annoyed him to death?

I forced myself to stop thinking about that for the time being. I had to get the deliveries done, and safely.

I drove my scooter on to each of the houses, and everyone paid for the noodles and thanked me. I faked a smile each time. My mind was still thinking about Garu. Finally I was done. I drove as fast as my scooter could go, all the way back to the Goh-Rong. I walked in the back door and saw my guardians continue to work hard at making good food. I stopped next to Uncle Dumpling and handed him the money. He looked up at me before taking it.

"Something wrong, Pucca?" he asked quietly. I shook my head back and forth.

"No. I'm going to go for a walk. I'll be back by dinner though, I promise." I said. I smiled to show him that nothing was wrong. He looked like he didn't believe me, but nodded anyways.

"Okay. Be careful though." I nodded again, and walked out the back door. Where to go?

'I'll go talk to Ching. She'll make me feel better'

I ran to Ching's house, at the training hall. I walked in without even knocking, to find Ching, Abyo, and SsoSso training.

"Hey Pucca!" Ching yelled as she walked up to me.

"Hey!" I smiled, because she looked busy and I didn't want to bother her much.

"What's wrong?" Apparently, my smiling didn't work.

"Right… well… Want to go somewhere else?" I asked.

"Of course! Abyo, tell my dad I'm with Pucca, we'll be upstairs!" Abyo landed on the ground, nodded his head, and went back to practicing moves. I followed Ching up to her room. We walked in and I closed the door behind me.

"So what is wrong?" She asked, obviously concerned.

"Who ever said something was wrong?" I asked sarcastically. She just laughed.

"I can tell. So spill." She sat on one side of her bed and I sat on the floor, leaning against the edge of the bed. I pulled out a teen magazine from her desk and began to flip through it. Ching got another magazine.

"It's about Garu."

"Well," Ching giggled, "What about him? You never seem to stop thinking of something to talk about, concerning him."

"That's exactly it, Ching. Am I… annoying him too much?" I looked up at her for a split second, then looked back at the magazine.

"Well… I honestly don't know. I don't think so. He could leave if he wanted to."

"True… But he has to stay here to restore his honor, doesn't he? He can't just leave… Wouldn't that be worse than the original reason he has to restore the honor? Then it would be pointless… He has to stay in Sooga Village to regain honor and -"

"Pucca, he'd leave. He already pretty much broke the vow of silence. I think that had something to do with regaining honor. And if he got rid of that part, he could just as simply leave town if he wanted to. So don't worry too much, okay?"

"Okay" I said, and I smiled at her. I atleast felt a little better now.

"Ching, thanks… But I really should get going. I told Uncle Dumpling I'd get home soon. Thanks. A lot!" I smiled as I put the magazine back and got up.

"No problem Pucca. That's what I'm here for." She also stood and opened the door. Suddenly, a body fell on the floor and she jumped back a foot to avoid getting hit.

"Abyo?" I said.

"Abyo? What are you doing here? Why were you leaning against my door?" Ching asked, in a serious voice. Abyo just looked up and looked around to avoid eye contact.

"Well, you see… Um… Nothing, Ching. I was just randomly sitting here." He explained.

"Is that so? You mean, you weren't listening to my private conversations again?" Ching asked, taking a step closer to Abyo. He quickly backed up and shook his head.

"N-no! Of course not!" He stuttered.

"Sure about that?" Ching asked again.

"You just overheard our whole conversation?!" I asked. Those was private things, Abyo just _couldn't _find out what we had been talking about, even if it was just a short conversation about his best friend.

"No! Not all of it-"

"Ah-hah! You did hear it!" Ching said. Abyo muttered something, then took off downstairs and out the door of the training hall.

"Did he really hear all of it?" I asked. Ching was still watching the swinging doors as Abyo disappeared into the Village.

"I don't know. Those are private matters. He needs to learn to mind his own business." The front door finally stopped swinging.

"I really hope not…" I said. If he had, he would tell Garu, and for some reason, I just did _not _want that to happen.

--

So? What do you think? See, Pucca is a very sensitive person, she just doesn't let it show.

Please review! and, as other people say, flames will be used to roast marshmellows with! (which, at this moment, happen to sound VERY good...)

-Squirt Sapphire


	3. Duties come first

Yay another chapter!! :D Acually, its not that much, atleast I don't think... It was 2 full pages on Word... I don't have much to say... So I'll let you go on and read it. This is from Garu's point of view, basically what happens the rest of the day, after Pucca leaves to go to work. Yep.

also, there may be a slight cliff hanger at the end. Thats because I didn't know what to add to it after that, and I felt 2 pages would be enough for now. :)

Thank you for reading!

Disclaimer: If I owned Pucca, I'd have a new episode every week. XD and Garu and Pucca would go out... But then, the entertainment would be lost, so scratch all of what I just said... You can continue reading this now. :)

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I slowly made my way to the Goh-Rong for noodles, watching the morning sun rise

I slowly made my way to the Goh-Rong for noodles, watching the morning sun rise. I had left my house shortly after Pucca had run off to go to work. At this rate, I wouldn't see her because she would be off doing deliveries, but she would probably find me later in the day.

Mio walked with me. Soon, we reached the edge of the trees and continued down a dirt path. The bamboo forest was quiet compared to the early Sooga Village. Everyone, everywhere, kept smiling at me. People, for the most part, always seemed happy to see me. The few times they frowned at me were when I either had a part in destroying the village or upsetting Pucca, both which were rare occurrences.

Honestly, I was never the one to destroy the village. It was usually Tobe's fault, either part of his disastrous plans to defeat me or part of his running away. And you would have to be a complete idiot to upset Pucca. She was not one to annoy.

The smell of the Goh-Rong noodles quickly brought me out of my thoughts as I walked up the steps and opened the doors.

"Hello!" Dada said quickly, as I made my way to a table near the back. It always smelled good, since it was closest to the kitchen there.

"The usual?" Dad asked, as he walked back towards the kitchen, and I gave a happy nod. He just grinned at me. He walked into the kitchen, and came back a few minutes later with my bowl of noodles and sat down at the table with me. I smelled my noodles and started to eat.

"You seem awfully happy this morning, Garu." Dada stated. I simply nodded and continued eating.

"I wouldn't think it was a visitor made you this happy today, was it?" He questioned. I stopped eating for a second, and shook my head a little too quickly. How did he know Pucca visited? Pucca probably got late to work again, and Dada saw this and knew there was only one thing that would make her late; Me. Dada nodded and smiled.

"I'm sure it wasn't. Didn't Mio come in here with you?" he asked. I simply pointed upstairs, to Pucca's room. Mio and Yani were sitting outside that door, simply enjoying each other's company.

"Mio looks happy. You know, Garu, you and-"

"Dada! These dishes aren't going to wash themselves!" The chefs called from the kitchen. Dada looked back at me, muttered goodbye, and walked back into the kitchen. I quickly finished my noodles and walked out. Dada had gotten close to that unspoken subject for me.

'I hate when people try to get me to go out with Pucca." I thought. Not that I would mind. But I had to regain honor, and that had to come first.

'Ah… The honor. Why did I even get stuck with the task of regaining honor? And why did I have to go about doing it this way. The serious life style, the training, the silence… The silence. Not like I haven't ever broken that rule…' I reflected. I only spoke when necessary, but I felt it didn't have much to do with honor. As a child, I was taught the vow of silence. It could have something to do with not being able to speak bad things. While I still didn't speak all the time, I felt that I was allowed that small ability every once in a while.

I looked up and realized that I had been walking around Sooga Village. To my right I found a candy shop, with chocolates in the clear, glass window. To my left, I saw a small café, with a young couple sharing a lunch. I sighed. They looked so happy.

I instantly shook the thoughts from my head and began to walk forward. I stopped and jumped back as a flower cart raced past me. I looked only to see Santa chasing the runaway cart, full of roses and other summer flowers, down the main road in Sooga.

'Give me a break!' I would have either laughed or helped get it, if not in the current state of thinking I was in. Instead, I walked silently all the way back to the bamboo forest, back to my house.

After meditating for a good hour, I felt relaxed and happy again. I stretched, got up off the floor, and looked around. Although it was sometimes lonely, it was very peaceful living out in the bamboo.

Suddenly, a knock on the door disrupted the silence. I walked to the door.

"Garu! Hurry up and let me in, I know your in there! Let me in before Ching finds me and kills me already!" Abyo continued knocking, and when I opened the door, the clumsy teen almost fell down on me. I gave a questioning glance at him.

"What did you do?" I simply asked, and turned around. Abyo was one of the few who were allowed into my house. He now knew better than to try to set off all of the booby traps I had set up in my house.

"What makes you think it was my fault?" Abyo whined. I gave him a sarcastic look, as if to say, 'Was it?'.

"Okay… So maybe it was. I was just trying to hear one of Ching's conversations again though! I wanted to know if she was talking about me!" I slapped my forehead. 'Abyo, can you honestly be that stupid?'

"But Ching and Pucca were in Ching's room. And Garu, Pucca… She was talking about you…" I looked up at Abyo. 'Me? Why would she be talking about me?'

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Yep, I think I'll just cut it off there. XD Why? Because I"m the author, and I can do annoying stuff like that. So review, and maybe I'll be nice and put up a whole other chapter within the next week!

So lets see... This Chapter. Oh. in case you didn't understand, when Garu says"Give me a break", its b/c he sees all these flowers and couples and stuff, and he feelsl like he's almost being pressured to go out with Pucca. But his duty of restoring honor, according to him, comes first.

Mk. THanks for reading. Flames will be used to... .uhh...Roast marshmellows. again. XD

-SS


	4. Overreacting?

Okay, so I decided tomake another chapter... in honesty, this chapter doesn't have anything big, but I had to get through Pucca's point of view :) maybe it will make a point... you can read now :)

disclaimer: DUH, I don't own Pucca, haven't we already been through this?

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"Pucca, it will be fine... Even if Abyo does talk to Garu, what could he tell him? That you are in love with him? Garu already knows that." Ching comforted.

"Yeah, but if Abyo heard the whole conversation, then... Oh, I don't know. But he could tell Garu that we didn't think he would leave, and that it meant he really liked me. And if Garu heard that.. I'm afraid he will leave, Ching!" I cried. " I don't want Garu to leave!"

"Neither do I, but I still don't think he will. He would have left by now, Pucca"

"That's it though. Abyo will tell him that, and Garu will leave to prove the point that he doesn't like me!" I didn't want to believe Garu didn't like me, but now the time was coming when I could probably find out. I didn't want that time to come, incase it wouldn't be how I wanted it to be. I wanted Garu to like me!

"Well," Ching started, pulling me out of my thoughts, "there isn't a lot to do about that now. If Abyo had gone looking for Garu, we can't stop him since he probably already found him. Now we just need to figure out how to handle it from this point."

"As if Garu had already heard about it?" I asked, not fully paying attention. Ching nodded.

"Yeah. I mean, there are many different things he could think." Ching said.

"Like what?"

"Well... Uh... I know, let's go and get food! That will help us think!" Ching recommended, and I quickly smiled and nodded my head.

We ran to the Goh-Rong to get something to eat, and to get a chance to clear our heads.

As soon as we walked in the door, we heard the familiar crash of dishes in the back room. Ching and I exchanged looks as we made for a table in the back. Not long after we sat down, Dada came jogging out of the kitchen towards our table.

"What would you girls like today?" Dada asked as he pulled out a pad of paper and pencil.

"Noodles" Ching and I said together. Dada nodded and ran off to the kitchen.

"I can't believe how clumsy Dada is." Ching thought out loud.

"Yeah, but he has definitely improved in the past 3 years." I commented, and Ching nodded in agreement. At that moment, Dada again came out of the kitchen, this time carrying our bowls. He set it down and quickly walked off to complete his other chores. Ching and I ate quickly, avoiding the main topic. Soon we were walking down the central road in Sooga, and I couldn't help but notice all of the shops around me. Candy shop here, a small café there, and roses were on the ground in a row that led down the road.

"So..." Ching must have noticed me looking at them and didn't know how to start the conversation.

"I'm just worried he'll leave, Ching-"

"Pucca, its getting late, my dad will be expecting me. I think you should get back home and stop worrying about it, okay? It'll be fine, you are getting worried over nothing." Ching looked at me, concerned. She was right, it was getting late.

"Okay, Ching. I'll see you tomorrow sometime." Ching waved and walked home as I stood there. When she went out of sight, I turned around to go back home. The sun had already set, leaving the sky a beautiful pink and blue color.

I pulled on my pajamas, a pink shirt and purple shorts, turned off the lights, and got under the covers. I sat for a few minutes before I realized I wasn't tired. Despite the fact Ching told me not to worry, I was doing exactly that. I felt like I as over-reacting to the whole thing. I probably was. But why wouldn't I. The man I loved, who hated me, could actually have a reason to leave the Village forever.

Not too long after, I fell into a hopeful, dreamful sleep.

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Okay, not my best chapter... But I wanted to show how worried Pucca was that Garu would leave (incase you didn't realize that in the other chapters :P ) sooo. On to the next chapter. I have a new idea for a major plot, and I think I'll go ahead and put it into this fic since I don't know how to make this one end, or this other idea start... Sound good? good :)

By the way, thank you to all my reviewers, I don't think I've ever gotten so many reviews so fast and it really helps me to write more :)

PS. I HAVE 3 week old Kittens! YAAAAY! XD


	5. Questions answered

So I decided to go with the random plot. Hope you like it. If you don't, I'd love to know what I can do to help you like it :) So here is chapter 5 already! I wrote this in a day, off and on. Here goes...This is Garu's pov.

Disclaimer: Are you KIDDING me?

PS Thanks for all the comments! My kittens are now 6 weeks old. squee So far I get to keep my baby girl Meeko! heehee

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"And Garu, Pucca… She was talking about you…" I looked up at Abyo. Me? Why would she be talking about me?

"What?"

"They were talking about you, Garu. I mean, it's none of my business about you two, but she is worried you don't like her, which it is obvious you don't" Abyo explained, and I just groaned. I was glad no one thought I liked her...

"She finally thinks I don't like her?" I asked, somewhat worried about his answer.

"I think she does. They didn't know I was listening, and after being caught, some of the thoughts kinda got jumbled together... But I think she is afraid you'll leave Sooga because she chases you too much." I nodded.

"Yeah," I replied, "but she's gotten better about it lately. She's not nearly as pushy-"

"Because she doesn't want you to leave. But at least it gets her off your back, right? Maybe you could tell her you will leave if she doesn't completely stop. I'm sure that would work!" Abyo was proud of the idea he thought up; I should lie to Pucca. There was no way I would leave Sooga though. It was my home, it had been my home for almost 10 years, and I was happy here.

"That'd be lying." I simply said. Abyo just shrugged.

"But she'd be off your back!" Abyo said in a sing-song voice. I just grinned at his goofiness and rolled my eyes.

"Doubt it. She'd follow me everywhere." I countered. Abyo sat in thought about that.

"Yeah, that is true... Think the girls have calmed down by now?" he asked me. I shook my head.

"Not if they didn't want anyone to hear it, not to mention this is about the 20th time you've eavesdropped. And they'll know you came here. You always hide here." I stated.

"Can't I hide in your basement?" Abyo pleaded. I shook my head.

"Nope. Last time you were down there, all of my traps were set off and it took a month to fix." I grinned again, knowing I had won.

"Now go before they get here." I laughed. Abyo looked shocked and took off out the door. I laughed and shook my head as I turned back to my house. Mio came strutting in the door and I sighed.

"Out with Yani again, were we?" I asked. Mio purred in reply. Suddenly a knock came to the door. I grinned, figuring it was the girls. Instead it was Santa delivering mail.

"One for you, Garu." He smiled and handed me a letter. As there were no hears or kisses on it, I automatically knew it wasn't from Pucca.

"Have a good day, Garu! Ho, ho, ho." the jolly old man walked down the pathway, back through the bamboo forest.

I walked back into my house as I opened the envelope. Inside was a folded letter written in a smooth, flowing writing.

_"Garu,_

_Be sure you are preset at your dojo later, for I will be visiting. You may not remember me; it was a long time ago when our parents introduced us. I will come to explain everything, and I know you will be as overjoyed as I am at the recent plans decided by my parents._

_Love, Your dearest,_

_Brilanna"_

I stood in thought as I tried to recall a Brilanna. The name wasn't ringing any bells, so I became slightly worried about the meeting. I would simply have to tell her I wasn't the right person and that I mistakenly got the letter. If she came, that is.

Suddenly, my stomach growled and I decided it was time for an early dinner. I left my house, with Mio following close behind, and made my way back through the quiet bamboo forest. For once, Tobe didn't attack me, so it made for a peaceful walk. That was good, because it was far too hot out. It made me glad I was wearing my sleeveless shirt and black shorts today. I walked into the Goh-Rong to see Pucca, Ching, and a not-so-happy-looking Abyo.

"So they caught you?" I asked Abyo. I stopped as soon as I said it, realizing that I probably just got Abyo and myself into huge trouble with the girls. Abyo nodded, but Pucca looked up at me, slightly shocked and blushing. She then took her gaze back to the table and started twirling her thumbs nervously.

"Good job, Garu. Way to get us in trouble." Abyo said, but squeaked when he saw Ching glaring at him. He looked guilty.

"You need to learn to mind your own business, Abyo." Ching stated as I sat down. Pucca was still twirling her thumbs, but quickly glanced up at me as I sat across from her. We stared at each other for a split second, when Dada interrupted by bringing food to the table.

"So, Garu. What all did Abyo tell you?" Ching asked pleasantly as she ate. I just shrugged.

"He's reached his speaking quota for the day, sorry." Abyo quickly muttered. I nodded to try to get out of talking, but they wouldn't believe us.

"Yeah, right." Pucca looked at me, apparently not embarrassed anymore. Instead she looked annoyed. As usual, I couldn't stand lying to anyone, most of all Pucca.

"Not much. He said he listened to Ching's conversation, and he was afraid you would kill him-"

"I was not!" Abyo argued, which made Ching laugh.

"You looked scared to death when you ran out of the training hall!" Ching joked, and Pucca giggled in agreement. Abyo grinned.

"Yeah, I was, I guess." He admitted. Pucca finished her food and pushed the bowl away from her. As she did so, she looked up at me again. She smiled at me, showing she was in a good mood. I gave a quick grin, which made her smile even more. Suddenly, I realized what time it was.

"Sorry, gotta go. I have to finish training, and then I'm going home."

"Okay, see ya!" Ching said.

"Spar with ya later" Abyo grinned.

"Bye Garu." Pucca said quietly and waved.

I made my way back to the bamboo forest for training. I jumped around the trees to practice balance, and when Mio finally returned from his second date with Yani, we practiced dodging and chasing. I was jumping back and forth between trees, trying to catch Mio, and my mind faded to memories of dodging Tobe and Pucca in this same place. Tobe was fairly easy to dodge, but Pucca was a little more difficult. Even without training, Pucca was amazingly skilled.

I was brought out of my thoughts when I realized Mio had dropped straight to the ground, and I didn't have enough time to dodge the next branch. I jumped right into it and fell down, catching myself before I hit the ground. I rubbed the side of my face, which probably now had a huge red mark on it from hitting the branch at full speed, and walked back to my house. Mio meowed apologetically and followed me. I walked to my kitchen to get ice for my face, and it instantly made my face numb. I took the ice pack off and decided to meditate, but a knock at the door, yet again, interrupted what I was doing. Slowly, I got up and walked to the door.

'It's probably either Abyo running from Ching, or Pucca planning on attacking me again.' I smirked. I opened the door and stood back, but was shocked at what was in front of me.

"Hello." the girl in the pink and purple dress smiled," I'm Brilanna"

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Dun-dun-duuuun. Cliffhanger? I'm sorry. I'm just at a loss of what else to write... but I already have Pucca's pov planned so it shouldn't be too long. I love review, so far I think I have the most review for this story, which excites me. Garu talks a lot in this chapter, he's kinda throwin the "Vow of Silence" thing completely out the window... oh well, even so, I hope they weren't too out of character??I take any nice and constructive review!!

And a question for people who have watched practically every episode(nooooooo XD I haven't. cough cough.) ahem. Its the episode ... I don't know. something about Master Soo bans kung foo and fighting?? And they end up holding this big fight in the Goh-Rong Basement... Did the question of 'how Garu knew he would be able to fight in PUCCA's basement' or 'How Garu even knew Pucca had a basement' occur to anyone other than me? I think i'll draw a picture but I'd love to see someone write that episode out and explain how Garu found out about Pucca's basement (preferably PuccaxGaru) but I want to see a really good writing about it, okay? that would just make my day great.

Sorry. I'm done now XD


	6. Lunch and Lost

And heeeeeeeeere is chapter 6. YIPEE!... And now I have no idea where this plot line is going... But ya know, that makes it fun. XDSo... Here is Pucca's pov.. I wrote this in about an hour or two today. By the way, i'd like to fix a mistake in the last chapter... I kinda forgot to add a night in there during Garu's point of view... It is there, I just forgot to mention it. ; anyways. here is chapter 6! :D

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I woke up the next morning to a bright sun and warm air. I changed into my short, red dress, and pulled my hair up into two buns on my head. After making sure I still had my bell necklace on, the same bell necklace Garu had given me years ago, I made my way downstairs. I never took the necklace off, so I don't know why I checked everyday that it was there.

I reached the dining room of the Goh-Rong, and there were already a few people who had arrived for breakfast. I decided not to bother Garu this morning because I wanted to make up for being late to work before. Then I remembered what happened the previous day, and realized that Abyo had probably talked to Garu by now. I sighed as I walked into the kitchen.

"What's wrong, Pucca?" Uncle Dumpling asked without turning around.

"Nothing. Just tired, I guess." I shrugged. Ho pointed to the wall, also without turning.

"There's the list of deliveries today, Pucca. It's not very many. As soon as you get done, you have the rest of the day off." I smiled. That meant I could hang out with Ching again. I grabbed the list and carried all of the food out to my scooter, since Dada was serving people inside. I didn't want to bother him while he was busy, and I was more than able to do this by myself. I walked out the door, and before it swung shut, I heard voices from inside. I stopped to listen.

"That boy will be the death of her..." Linguini sighed. I could hear dishes clanging around.

"If Garu is what she wants..." Ho started.

"... She won't stop till she gets him!" Uncle Dumpling chuckled.

I smiled and sighed again, got on my scooter, and went to make my deliveries. It had gotten warmer in the time it took me to get up, and the wind going by while driving the scooter made being outside bearable. The only ones to order were Chang, who told me Ching was around town somewhere waiting for me to get off work, and RingRing, who asked me how Dada was doing. I told her that he was still working, and she giggled and mentioned she would have to go back to the Goh-Rong for lunch.

I returned my scooter to the Goh-Rong and walked off to find Ching. When I did find her, she was pulling Abyo out of a tree that he was desperately trying to hold on to. I laughed and helped her pull him down, all the while Abyo screaming "NO!", and we drug him to the Goh-Rong. Not long after we sat at a table, RingRing walked in. Dada apparently noticed, because in two seconds flat he was at her table taking her order. The two talking together made me smile.

I turned back to the conversation Abyo and Ching were having.

"Abyo, why do you always have to eavesdrop? You've done it like fifty times now!" Ching yelled.

"Nuhuh. It's only about twenty times, and I wouldn't eavesdrop if your door was thicker..." Abyo argued as he got himself into more trouble. Ching sighed.

"You only listen to hear about you. I'll make a deal; Next time I talk to anyone about you, I'll be sure to alert the entire Sooga Village so that you can come and listen." Ching said. Abyo just sat in silence, annoyed at Ching's sarcasm, which reminded me of Garu before he started talking.

I heard the doors swing open again, and reflected on how busy the Goh-Rong was today. As I turned to look who it was, I froze. It was Garu. He looked slightly distracted as he walked over to our table. He looked at Abyo.

"So they caught you?" he asked, but didn't say anything else. Ching glared, Abyo nodded, and I stared at Garu in shock. He glanced at me, but I found twirling my thumbs to be very interesting so I looked down. 'That means Abyo _did_ tell him!' I thought.

"Way to get us in trouble." Abyo mumbled to Garu. Ching continued to give Abyo a death glare, and he finally noticed. He gave a short scream that sounded like a squeak.

"You need to learn to mind your own business, Abyo!" Ching grumbled. I looked up to see Garu sitting across the table, but my eyes caught his and I couldn't move. Suddenly, Dada's arm came between us. He was giving us the usual dishes we ordered, and I happily started eating.

"So, Garu. What all did Abyo tell you?" Ching calmly asked. Garu shrugged as Abyo explained Garu had reached his speaking quota today, so he couldn't talk.

"Yeah, right!" I argued as Garu nodded to Abyo's comment. Garu looked at me, then looked down at his food.

"Not much. He said he listened to Ching's conversation, and he was afraid you would kill him." Garu's quiet voice said, and he started eating.

"I was not!" Abyo argued.

"You looked scared to death when you ran out of the training hall!" Ching joked, and I giggled. Abyo grinned.

"Yeah, I was, I guess." He admitted. I pushed my bowl away after I finished my noodles.

I decided to brave another glance at Garu, but he yet again caught me, and I had to smile. Garu grinned for a split second, just long enough for me to notice. I could feel my heart beat faster, and I was sure my face was red, but I couldn't help but smile even more. 'Did he really grin? He never grins at me!?' I said to myself, confused and overjoyed at the same time. Garu looked at the clock on the wall as he also finished eating.

"Sorry, gotta go. I have to finish training, and then I'm going home." he said, looking distracted again.

"Okay, see ya!" Ching chirped.

"Spar with ya later" Abyo grinned.

"Bye Garu." I said shyly and gave a small wave. I could have sworn he grinned as he turned to leave the table. I watched him as he walked through the doors outside. Abyo also got up from the table, mentioning he needed to practice kung fu.

After Abyo left, Ching and I got up and walked outside, looking in all of the shops. As we neared the end of the walkway, I noticed a strange girl standing at the big fountain. 'The same fountain Garu almost proposed to you at three years ago' I giggled to myself, remembering the gorgeous wedding dress I was wearing, and how ironic it was that Garu had been wearing a tuxedo, and Santa's secret present was a real diamond ring! I, of course, returned the dress the next day, not a scratch on it. I never found out what happened to the ring or the tuxedo. Ching's voice brought me out of my thoughts.

"Pucca, do you recognize that girl?" she asked, pointing to the strange brunette in a pink dress. I shook my head.

"No, I've never seen her before. You?" I asked, realizing it was a stupid question. Ching wouldn't have asked me if she had already known who it was. Ching shook her head anyway.

"She looks lost." Ching said, and I noticed the girl looked like she was holding a map, and was looking around at the buildings and different people.

"Maybe we should help her?" I asked. We walked towards her. She noticed us coming towards her, but she tried to ignore us. As we got closer, I noticed how she looked. She had short brown hair, and her bright green eyes were still darting around, as if trying to find something familiar. She had on a pink, flowered, short dress that was styled like a kimono, with a purple ribbon high around her waist. We stopped next to her, and after a few seconds, she decided to take notice of us.

"Yes?" she asked. She sounded annoyed. Ching and I exchanged looks, then turned back to her.

"You looked like you were lost, and we wanted to come help you. I'm Ching. This is Pucca" Ching offered, smiling. The girl looked at us, unsure. After taking another look around, she spoke.

"You can call me Lanna. Yes, I could use some help. You see, I need to know where the bamboo forest is." Again, Ching and I exchanged looks. 'Why would she need to be in the bamboo forest?' I thought.

"Um..." Ching said, confused. I shrugged. Ching didn't even really know the quickest way to the bamboo forest and Garu's house. I'd only taken her that way once, and she apparently didn't remember it, which was why she was leaving me to tell this strange girl, Lanna.

"The bamboo forest is on that side of the village... The easiest way is to follow the path to the Goh-Rong Noodle Restaurant, then turn left." I pointed and explained. She looked to where I pointed and nodded.

"Okay. Just that direction. Got it. See you around, Pucca, Ching." With that, she turned and left. Once out of earshot, Ching and I started a conversation.

"Not even a 'Thank you'?" Ching said, annoyed.

"My question was, why does she need to be in the bamboo woods? And if she would have just walked up the street, she obviously could have seen the top of the bamboo. It's not _that _complicated." I shrugged, also annoyed. Ching also shrugged.

"She must be staying in town or something..." Ching mumbled.

"Why?" I asked, as we continued to walk through the shops in thought.

"She said she'd see us around..." Ching said as she stopped to look at a cute purple skirt.

"Oh" I replied, and we cut the conversation off there to enjoy our shopping. I still thought about this girl, Lanna, and for some reason, it really bothered me. I didn't like anyone going into the bamboo forest, especially since Garu was the only one who lived there...

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And I didn't know where to make Pucca's pov go from there, so ofcourse I ended it there... Ching and Pucca go shopping, just for something to do. Yep.

here are link's to pictures... If they actually decide to work, which they probably won't, knowing my luck ... If they don't work, just leave a review and I'll send you the links... I have a picture of brilanna now (not sure if its her final design), and a picture similar to what Pucca looks like (Bell necklace and all), and a picture of RingRing that I did last night... Or if you'd like to view them NOW... just change the DOT to a period. and get rid of the spaces :) it should work. if not, tell me.

RingRing: squirtsapphire DOT deviantart DOT com/art/Teenage-RingRing-89057684

Brilanna: squirtsapphire DOT deviantart DOT com/art/Pucca-Brilanna-89058786

Pucca: squirtsapphire DOT deviantart DOT com/art/Pucca-s-Cliff-86547355

And no, RingRing is not evil at this point. Why? Because she's not jealous of Pucca... Why? ... Okay. if you ask why, you honestly didn't read this chapter at all... She's into Dada now b/c he's good at fighting (Hasn't anyone seen Jani..ohhh. what was it.. crap. janitorus or something --; And I'm still waiting to see someone write something about how Garu finds Pucca's Basement in "Knock it Off!" :) Thanks to all my reviewers. If you have any ideas of where you think this plot will go, or where you'd like this plot to go, please tell me, because as of right now, its a blank slate XD

I'm out. -SS


	7. We are what?

Here is chapter 7! Sorry it took so long, I've been pshyco busy lately.

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"Hello." the girl in the pink and purple dress smiled," I'm Brilanna." I just stared at her.

"And you must be Garu? Wow Garu, you sure have grown since last time I saw you!" She giggled. I gulped.

"Well? Aren't you going to invite me in?" Brilanna said, her hands on her hips. I slowly nodded and backed up, letting her through.

"This is Brilanna?" I thought. She still didn't seem familiar. She was walking around the living room, looking at everything.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. This will definately have to change. Why isn't there anything in here, Garu? You need help decorating. And I'm just the girl to do it! I'll get to it as soon as I move in-"

"Move in?" I asked. No girl was moving in with me. I didn't even allow Pucca in my house. Plus, any girl in my house was at risk to be attacked by the love-sick girl.

"Why, yes. Of course. You don't expect me to live in a hotel when we are together, forever, do you honey?" She still wasn't looking at me. She seemed to be wandering toward my bedroom, and I quickly stopped her and sat her on the couch. I was feeling dizzy.

"Together?" I asked.

"Why yes, Garu! Don't you remember? We are to marry!" The last thing I saw was her smile.

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When I came to, I was laying on my bed. An ice pack was on my head. I quickly sat up, trying to figure out how I got there. I heard footsteps and after a moment, Brillana walked through the door.

"Oh! You're up! That's-"

"Out." I said, cutting her off as I got up.

"What?"

"Out!" I said again, pointing to the bedroom door. She still wouldn't move, so I turned her around and pushed her out. I quickly slammed my bedroom door shut as soon as we were out.

"What was that about?" Brilanna asked, looking confused.

"Don't go in my room."

"It will be our room soon, honey." She smiled, but it wasn't a friendly smile. She had probably been trying for seductive, but it didn't have any effect on me.

"No."

She pouted.

"I don't even know what you are talking about. How long was I out? And what do you mean we are supposed to get... supposed to get... ma- ma...-" I stuttered.

"Married? You were out for an hour. And you don't remember?!" I caught the annoyance in her voice.

"No. I can't say that I do at all. Please, explain."

"You were like, what... 5 years old? Thats plenty old enough to remember!" She complained.

"Either explain or get out of my house. I don't have time for distractions!" I growled. I was out for an hour! I needed to get back to training. She stared at me with her bright green eyes, and for a moment I felt completely calm. Only for a moment. She finally spoke.

"When you were 5 and I was 4, our parents were great friends. We have an arranged marriage, Garu!" I stumbled and fell heavily onto the couch. Suddenly, images of my childhood flooded my mind. I shook my head, trying to get rid of them. Nothing in my childhood was important. I wanted to remember none of it. After a minute, I successfully cleared most of them from my mind. Brilanna continued.

"Our families wanted to stay in touch, so before your family moved, they decided an arranged marriage would be the best idea. And I can say I honestly agree." She said, looking at me with her weird stares again. I crossed my arms.

"Brilanna."

"Hm? Oh. Call me Lanna."

"Brilanna. I don't think the marriage is such a good idea. You are too young." I struggled to come up with other bad reasons.

"What? I'm 16! Thats old enough." "

She is only 16? Well, I guess that makes sense. Wait, do you have to be 18?" I thought to myself.

"Not legally, its not."

"What do you mean? It's an arranged marriage, age doesn't matter!"

"I'm only 17, I don't want to be tied down." She suddenly started fuming.

"Oops... What did I say?" I worried in silence.

"Whether we are married or not, I'm here now and I'm staying! You aren't going to do anything now that you wouldn't do when we get married."

"We are _not_ getting married, Brilanna!"

"_Yes we are._ And you can't do anything to stop it, Garu. You'll get used to the idea soon. I promise." She mumbled through clenched teeth. I simply shook my head.

"I should let you know, you are at a major risk of being put in the hospital."

"What? Like an honorable man as yourself would hurt little old me?" She said, gliding over to me and tilting my chin up. She leaned in, and I was frozen.

"Atleast when Pucca tries to kiss me, she doesn't corner me. She just hugs me to death." I thought, watching Brilanna's face get closer," Wait. Pucca." I came out of the trance and pushed Brilanna's shoulder's back. She stumbled in surprise.

"Do not." was all I said, and walked out of the dojo. _My _dojo.

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Okay, so I decided Garu is now 17. Does this chapter make sense?? Did the chapter surprise anyone? Garu doesn't seem too happy, heh. Anyone have ideas for the next chapter?? I apologize again for the delays, and I thank all of my faithful reviewers!

ps Should I write a version of Hooray for Bollywood? Or any other episode? Give me any episode, and I'll try to write it(depending on if I've seen the episode.) shrugs just an idea for those who have missed the newer episodes or something.

I'm out. -SS


	8. Proper Introductions

Wow, look at this. Already another chapter! Its a LOT shorter though, but it'll hopefully prove to be a little fun...  
Do I even NEED a disclaimer? HONESTLY. xD Oh, this is Pucca's pov chapter. :)

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Later that day

Ching and I were still wandering the shops in Sooga, trying to think of something to do, when Garu suddenly charged right past us and into the Goh-Rong. Ching and I exchanged worried looks and followed after him. He slumped down at one of the back tables and propped his head up on his hand. Ching and I sat down across from him. He glanced up at us, then closed his eyes.

"Garu?" Ching asked.

"Hm?" he responded.

"Is... everything okay?" Ching asked again. He gave a short nod of his head.

"Are you sure?" She wondered. He nodded again, but didn't open his eyes.

"...Are you hungry, while you're here?" I offered. He shook his head quietly.

"Do you want us to leave you alone?" I questioned. He didn't answer.

"Garu?"

"GARU!" a voice screamed from outside. He didn't even bother to look up. He just furrowed his brow and continued to keep his eyes closed. The Goh-Rong doors flew open suddenly and Lanna came storming threw them. She walked right to us.

"What do you think you are doing, Garu? How could you just leave me there! How dare you!" Lanna yelled. He attempted to ignore her, while every other conversation in the Goh-Rong went silent.

"Lanna, what happened?" I asked. Garu opened one eye to look at me.

"He just walked out of our house without me! He left me there! I could have been killed or something!"

"Don't be silly, Lanna. The only ones who go to his house are us and Tobe, and let's face it, Tobe isn't going to hurt you!" Ching giggled, trying to make the situation calmer. I heard a "Hey!" come from a table behind us, to find Tobe and Cheif eating noodles. And what did that 18 year old do? He stuck his tongue out at us! I giggled and turned back around as the conversations started back up.

"Even so, it is _not_ very honorable to leave a women alone at her house." She grumbled.

"Little girl. And it is _my_ house." Garu corrected under his breath. Lanna grabbed his ear and pulled, and he winced in pain.

"What did you call me!" She screamed at him. Before I could stop it, my arm flew by and knocked her hand away from his ear. He rubbed the ear where there was now a red spot. She looked at me, surprised.

"Pucca, you have no business in this!" Lanna shot at me. My face grew red with anger, but I saw Garu silently chuckle and was confused. He still refused to look at Lanna.

"Oh dear, I do suppose I haven't introduced myself _properly_." She said with a smirk. Garu's hidden smile left his face immediately.

"I," she continued," Am Brilanna, fiancee of Garu the ninja."

My mouth dropped to the floor. I was stunned for atleast a minute, and Ching was the same. Garu looked pissed, because now his face was red in anger.

"That is not true." he mumbled.

"It is very true, Garu, and you can't do anything about it!" For the first time, he looked at her.

"It is _not_ true. We are _not_ getting married. And you, little Brilanna, cannot do a thing about it." he yelled at her defiantly. As soon as I saw her raise her hand, I felt my body react. In a split second, I got up from my chair, crossed the table, and pushed her out of the way, just before her hand could make contact with his face. She fell to the ground. I was fuming.

"Get out of my restaruant. NOW!" I said, teeth clenched, and pointed to the door. She looked at me as if she could kill me, but got up and stomped right out the front doors. Again, everyone went silent, and heads were shooting from me, to the door, and back to me. I sat at the table, my hands still balled up into fists. Garu and Ching looked at me, completely surprised and speechless.

"Garu doesn't seem like he is about to accept it," I thought to myself angrily," and if he doesn't accept it, there is no chance I will. Ever."

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Looky!! 2 chapters in 2 days, isn't it amazing! :D So yes. if you learn one thing from this story, let it be that you do NOT piss off an love-sick, ninja-obsessed girl. Yes, I think that is it. And I feel weird righting "pissed" and"piss off" simply because I never actually say it in real life (Yes, I'm one of those weird people that just don't cuss in front of people ;P Or atleast really try not to)

How long will this lovely little story go... hmm...  
Garu:END IT NOW. I DON'T WANT TO GET MARRIED!!  
Pucca: Oh, don't worry, as long as I'm alive, there isnt a chance in -  
Me: Did you NOT just hear me? I said I don't use curse words. And as long as I'm the writer, neither will you. So ha.  
... ahem. excuse my little roleplay. the characters were bored. xD I'm going to go eat a well deserved lunch now. :) Thanks to all my awesome reviewers!! :D If you have any ideas for this or where you think it will go, I'd absolutely LOVE to hear them, PLEASE! :D  
Pucca:Only because she infact has no clue where this story is going. Heck, for all we know, Garu may kill Brilanna himself.  
Garu:-looks white as a ghost- PUCCA! DO YOU KNOW HOW DISHONORABLE THAT IS!?  
Pucca: What, you've killed things before! You remember that one time, at that one place-  
Garu: -sweat drop- Pucca. It was a fly... Those don't count.

ps Should I write a version of Hooray for Bollywood? Or any other episode? Give me any episode, and I'll try to write it(depending on if I've seen the episode.) shrugs just an idea for those who have missed the newer episodes or something.


	9. Not so fast

Sorry I haven't posted! I really do want to work on this but I can't decide which way I want this story to go... That, plus school has started. but I'm trying!!

Originaly I was going to write about what happened after Brilanna left... but then I thought, Garu had a bunch of unreadable signals in chapter 8 that probably only made sense to me... So here I am, writing Garu's point of view of chapter 8. Hopefully, it will help you understand!

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Chapter 9

"Do not..." I thought in my head. Do not what? What kind of a walk-out line was that?!

I walked as fast as I possibly could, without running, away from my house... Wait, MY house. Why did I leave that... that... Little girl there. She could completely destroy my house. Heck, Pucca would if I did that to her...

"Do not... Do not touch me? Do not try to kiss me? Is that what I meant?" I asked myself. Before I knew it, I was on the edge of the bamboo forest. Images of Brilanna came into my mind and I couldn't help but feel infuriated. How could she just come in here and do this? I proceeded to stomp off to one of only three places that gave me comfort; The Goh-Rong.

Once inside, I headed for the back table and basically collapsed into the chair. After a second, I realized Pucca and Ching had sat down across from me and were staring at me as if they'd just seen a ghost or something. I closed my eyes, trying to figure out what to do about Brilanna, when a small voice interupted my thoughts.

"Garu?"

"Hm?" I responed absent mindedly.

"Is everything okay?" Ching continued. I nodded, still trying to concentrate on my problem.

"Sure?" Getting annoyed, I gave a quick nod.

"Are you hungry, while you're here?" came Pucca's soft voice. Actually, I was, but I shook my head no. I didn't want to trouble her.

"You want us to leave you alone?" Pucca whispered, practically reading my mind. But at the same time, I wanted them to stay.

"Garu?" She asked again.I was ready to shake my head and tell them about everything going on, when a sharp screech cut off my thoughts.

"GARU!"

I was disgusted and terrified at the same time. I decided I would not even look at Brilanna. I couldn't give her that one priveledge. I could hear her footsteps.

"What do you think you are doing, Garu? How could you just leave me there! How dare you!" Brilanna screamed from across the table. I could feel the eyes of the restaraunt on our table.

"Lanna, what happened?" Pucca asked, sounding surprised. I opened an eye to look at her. How did she know Brilanna?

"He just walked out of _our_ house without me! He left me there! I could have been killed or something!"

"Don't be silly, Lanna. The only ones who go to his house are us and Tobe, and face it, Tobe isn't going to hurt you!" Ching giggled. Pucca also giggled, and I barely glanced up to see why. Tobe and Cheif were eating noodles, and Tobe happened to be sticking out his tongue at the comment. If not for the tense moment, I would have started laughing right then and there. Instead, I'd have to simply remember teasing him for it later.

"Even so, it is _not_ very honorable to leave a women alone at her house." Brilanna said angrily.

"Little girl. And it is _my_ house." I quietly corrected. Unfortunately, Brilanna actually heard me. Within a second, she was around the table and was pinching me ear tightly. Her long nails were digging into the skin, and it stung, but I still wouldn't look at her.

"_What_ did you call me!" She yelled, apparently at me. Suddenly, I felt wind rush by my face, and Brilanna's fingers released my ear. After massaging my ear, I looked towards Brilanna, to see she was staring at Pucca.

"Pucca, you have no business in this!" Brilanna fumed. Pucca looked like she was about to kill her. Her hands were balled into fists, and I silently laughed to myself.

"That's it Pucca. Give her what she deserves, _please!"_ I thought.

Unfortunately, my laugh hadn't gone unnoticed, and Pucca looked to me with confusion on her face. I cursed under my breath for stopping her. However, knowing Pucca, she still wouldn't hesitate to beat Brilanna if she felt the need.

"Oh, I suppose I haven't introduced myself _properly_." Brilanna quietly said. I instantly stopped smiling. I knew what was coming, and I could only imagine the outcome of it.

"I," she muttered darkly," Am Brilanna, fiancee of Garu the ninja."

I let my eyes open once more to look at their reactions. Pucca was standing, practically frozen in place. She, nor Ching, didn't know quite how to respond. Pucca's eyes flew from Brilanna, to me, and back to Brilanna. She was lying to everyone. And of course, it seemed believable.

"That is _not _true." I argued.

"It's very true, Garu! And you can't do a thing about it!" I could feel myself shaking in anger as I looked her in the eyes.

"It is _not_ true. We are _not_ getting married. And you, little Brilanna, cannot do a thing about it." I yelled honestly. Before I could blink, I saw her hand come towards me, palm up. I wanted to block it, but I couldn't move. As if in slow motion, her hand inched closer and closer, when suddenly, a red and black blur came between us. I barely had time to think before I saw Pucca roughly push Brilanna to the ground. As before, Pucca's hands were in fists. I was still shocked.

"Get out of my restaruant. NOW!" Pucca growled through clenched teeth, pointing to the door. Brilanna stampeded out of the restaraunt, pushing everyone and everything out of her way. The room was full of silence; everyone was trying to figure out what had just happened. Pucca sat down, not daring to turn around and look at us. Ching and I both were standing at this point, and we looked at Pucca.

As we sat down, I noticed Pucca was holding her head up on her hands, with her eyes closed tightly. She was thinking. After a moment, her still-angry gaze met mine. Ching sat quietly, not sure what to do.

"So... That's why you wanted us to leave you alone?" Ching asked.

I shook my head. "I didn't want you to leave. I hadn't had time to answer before _she _came through the door."

"Why didn't you tell us you were... were... already engaged?" Pucca said. I could tell she was angry, but there was a hint of something else in her voice. She almost sounded like she could cry. I sat up straight, surprised at what Pucca thought. She had the wrong idea, completely.

"Pucca! I didn't know I was engaged. And it's not like I want to be engaged..." I muttered, " Atleast, not to Brilanna." She looked up at me, surprised, and I looked down to try to hide my probably-blushing face.

"Why does she think you are engaged?" She asked, now calming down. I shrugged.

"I guess we have an arranged marriage. But I never knew about it, and you can bet that I will _not_ go along with it." At exactly that moment, the door to the Goh-Rong opened, and I cringed, hoping it wasn't that one person.

"Hey guys, what's going on? Did you just see that new chick, walking down the street? She does _not_ look happy... Wait, what's your problem?" Abyo asked, sitting down between Pucca and me. I relaxed and leaned against the table.

"Garu, you know you can't break an arranged marriage..." whispered Pucca.

"Yeah. They can't be broken... Or so I've heard," Abyo said," Anyways, why? Who has an arranged marriage?" Abyo looked around the table at all of us when we didn't answer. Pucca and Ching looked at me, and Abyo quickly caught on.

"You? YOU? Marriage?" Abyo stuttered.

"Yeah..." Pucca answered for me.

"Will you guys be okay?" Ching asked, looking at Pucca and me.

"Okay? With what?" I asked, my mind still foggy from the earlier fight.

"With this arranged marriage... I mean-"

"There will be no arranged marriage." I cut in stubbornly.

"But... Garu, you have to... Don't you know how unhonorable that is, to not go through with an arranged marriage?" Pucca gasped. I nodded understandably.

"Yes, I do. And Pucca, for once, I don't care."

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

tuh-duhh! THE END.

Nah, just kidding.

Pucca: Because she still doesn't know what the ending is going to be...  
Me: DO TOOO.  
Pucca: NUH UHHH.  
Garu: ...  
Pucca: And flies are animals too!  
Garu: What?!  
Pucca: YOU KILLED A LIVING ANIMAL!!  
Me: It'd have to be living in order for him to kill it.  
Garu:... That's true, but still. It was just a fly.  
Pucca: -reads this chapter- WHATTT?!  
Garu: -cringes at sound-  
Pucca: Where is she?! I'm going to KILL her!  
Garu: Pucca! CALM DOWN!  
Pucca: NO! -goes to find "her" -  
Me:... So what was this whole conversation supposed to be about?  
Garu:-shrugs-  
Me: Right... Well, we did learn that Pucca is a major hypocrite. She yells at you for killing a fly, yet she goes to kill Lanna?  
Garu: yep.  
Me: What happened to the whole vow of silence?  
Garu: You don't even want to know...

Me: Okay. well then. Sorry for another roleplay. I got bored. xD PLEASE review! I'd love to hear what you think will happen next!  
Garu: Because she doesn't know whats going to happen either.  
Me: SHUT UP! They don't need to know that...


	10. Maybe

-Edit: sorry that it had pasted the story here twice. I think I fixed it though! :) -

Finally, CHAPTER 10 PEOPLE! :D yeaaaaaah. :)

Chapter 10

I stared at Garu in shock.

"You... You don't care? But I thought you were focused on everything honorable?" I asked, turning my face away. He was _always_ focused on things that made him an honorable ninja. So much so that he usually ignored everything else, including me.

"I am... But if...," Garu stopped, trying to figure out what to say," If it makes me miserable in the process, that's just hurting myself... That's not very honorable."

"But isn't it un-honorable to go against something your parents chose for you?" I argued, and for what reason, I didn't know. I was supporting the idea of the man of my dreams marrying someone else...

'Did I really just say the "man of my dreams?' I thought. Garu was silent for a moment before laying his head in his hands and sighing.

"I just made it harder for you to think... I'm sorry..." I apologized quietly. He shook his head.

"No, you didn't. But there's got to be a way around it. There always is..." He sighed again.

"Are you hungry now?" I asked.

"No." Garu answered. A few seconds later, a large growl was heard, coming from his stomach. In spite of the situation, I had to giggle.

"I'll be right back, and don't worry, it's on the house." I stood up, walked to the kitchen, and got Garu's favorite bowl of noodles specially made. I was ready to back into the door to open in, but when I heard their voices, I stopped.

"Garu, what if you tell Brilanna that you love someone else?" Abyo offered.

"Who?" Garu asked cautiously.

"Well, Pucca, of course! Who else?" Abyo said, as if it was plain as day. Actually, it was.

Why hadn't I thought of that?

At that moment, I walked out of the kitchen and to the table. Garu's back was to the kitchen now, and as I came up behind him, I heard him say a single word.

"Maybe."

My heart fluttered. I could have started jumping for joy right then and there, but I held it in. As far as they knew, I new nothing about it. So I settled for a smile.

"Here you go!" I said as I carefully set the bowl of noodles in front of Garu. He quietly started eating after nodding in thanks. I sat across from him and rested my head on my hand.

"So, did you guys get any ideas?" I asked slowly. After no response and a few shared glances, they looked back at me. I looked around the table before realizing that Garu was blushing.

"What?" I asked again.

"Nothing!" Abyo chimed in, " Did you have any ideas, Pucca?"

Caught slightly offguard, I wasn't sure how to answer. "Uh... No, not really." Maybe Ching would fill me in on it later. 'Why didn't they just tell me?'

"I could beat Lanna up." I thought outloud.

"Let's not resort to violence already, Pucca." Garu chuckled. I mockingly sighed in sadness.

"Well, I haven't heard anyone else come up with an idea." Abyo shrugged.

"What if Garu were already promised to someone?" I asked, acting bored. I blew a stray piece of hair out of my face. Another set of shared glances followed.

"Would you stop that?" I questioned.

"What if we got her to like someone else?" Ching suggested.

"Actually, that's great!" Garu said, impressed.

'Crap. NO! Thats not what I wanted to happen!' I thought.

"Are you sure she'd even like anyone in Sooga Village? You are the only one in Sooga, other than Santa, who isn't dating." I laughed, trying to steer away from that idea.

Ching nodded in agreement. "That's true... There is no one else in Sooga." Inside, I was jumping for joy that she agreed.

"What if you pretend you're gay!" Abyo said, sounding quite proud of himself. I slapped my forehead with my hand, wondering how in the world he came up with that idea. After a slightly worried, slightly amused glance at me, Garu looked back to Abyo.

"I honestly don't think I could pull it off." Garu said.

"Sure you could! It couldn't be _that_ hard!" Abyo grinned. Not being able to resist, I had to say something.

"If it's not that hard, then why don't you demonstrate for us how that would go?" I asked. His grin fell, followed by Ching and Garu laughing.

"No thanks..."

"Hm... well, I'm out of ideas." Ching said, the laughter dying down.

"Yeah..." Garu said, finally pushing his bowl of noodles away.

"Were they good?" I asked. He nodded.

"The best."

I felt a blush creep onto my face. I quickly shook it off.

"Why don't we ask other people for ideas?"

"Yeah!" they all said, getting up out of the chairs.

"Where to first?" Garu asked, following me out of the Goh-Rong.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

I'm sorry this is shorter than the other chapters (at least, I think it is)...

By the way, I didn't mean to offend anyone with anything from this chapter (namely, the whole gay thing) it was just an idea one of my friends gave me, it's meant to be a joke. You are supposed to laugh. Hopefully. :)

So. I hit chapter 10. YAYY!!  
Pucca: Who are you going to make me ask?! -glares-

Me: mwahahahaha. You'll see.

Okay readers. Here is your chance to feel like part of the story! Recommend who you think they should talk to, and what you think that person will say to Garu's situation. I love to read the reviews and see what you think. :)

-SquirtSapphire


	11. Questions

Thank you for all of the amazing reviews, they were all great ideas! Those ideas, plus a few I recieved from my friends on deviantart, will definately be taken into considertation. THANK YOU SO MUCH YOU GUYS, YOU ARE AWESOME! hugs

Without further distraction, CHAPTER 11 PEOPLE! :D yeaaaaaah. :)

Chapter 11

"You... You don't care? But I thought you were focused on everything honorable?" Pucca asked, confused.

"I am... But if it makes me miserable in the process, that's just hurting myself... That's not very honorable." I tried to explain. Really, I was just trying to convince myself that the arranged marriage was completely wrong.

"But isn't it unhonorable to go against something your parents chose for you?" Pucca asked quietly. I leaned my head in my hands.

'She's right...' I sighed to myself. 'Why is she making this seem like I'm supposed to be with Brilanna.' I secretly cringed as I heard the name in my head.

"I just made it harder for you to think... I'm sorry..." Pucca whispered.

"No, you didn't..." I lied, shaking my head. "But there's got to be a way around it. There always is..." I sighed hopelessly, trying to think of ways. Pucca's voice brought me out of my thoughts.

"Are you hungry now?"

'Yes!' I wanted to say, but I didn't want to make her go get anything. I'd probably need her help getting out of this... Well, if I went with the idea that was forming in my head, I _would_ need her help. Majorly.

"No." I answered. Not a second had gone by before my stomach gave me away. I heard her giggle, and she started to walk away.

"I'll be right back, and don't worry, it's on the house." Her footsteps got quieter.

'Of course, I'll pay for that later. Even if its from Pucca.'

"So we need to come up with some ideas, and fast." Abyo whispered. I was confused.

"Why are we whispering?"

"Because. If we let this go too long, Brilanna won't stand a chance..." Ching explained.

"... Against Pucca?" I finished for her. She and Abyo nodded in unison.

"So how do we fix this?" I asked, sighing for only the twentieth time.

"Garu, what if you tell Brilanna that you love someone else?" Abyo offered. I heard the kitchen doors open.

"Who?" I asked, hoping she wasn't quite close enough to hear yet. I knew who he was going to say, and I wanted to cringe before he said it. But I didn't. Surprisingly, I was perfectly comfortable with his comment.

"Well, Pucca, of course! Who else?" Abyo chuckled. His gaze shifted; he was looking behind me, which meant she was getting closer. Knowing I had to answer, but still hoping she was far enough away, I answered honestly with one word.

"Maybe." My heart practically stopped as I heard her footsteps stop behind me.

"Here you go!" came Pucca's cheerful voice as she set the food infront of me. I nodded and starting eating the noodles.

'Yum. My favorite'

"Did you guys get any ideas?" Pucca asked, sitting at the table and staring at me. I looked to Ching, who looked at Abyo, who looked at me. As if on que, we looked to Pucca. I could feel the heat in my face, and I quickly went back to eating my noodles.

"What?" Pucca asked, looking directly at me. Abyo covered for me.

"Nothing! Did you have any ideas, Pucca?" She hesitated.

"Uh... No, not really."

"I could beat Lanna up." said Pucca suddenly, with a grin on her face.

"Let's not resort to violence already, Pucca." I smiled.

"Well, I haven't heard anyone else come up with an idea." Abyo shrugged.

"What if Garu were already promised to someone?" Pucca said, blowing the hair out of her face. Abyo looked at Ching, who looked at me. We looked back to Pucca, who didn't look her happiest.

"Would you stop that?"

"What if we got her to like someone else?" Ching suggested.

"Actually, that's great!" I said. Really, I was hoping for the previously stated idea that was discussed, but with Pucca here, we couldn't just freely talk about it. I didn't really like to talk about the newly-dawned-upon-but-long-time crush I had. If it could be avoided, it would be.

"Are you sure she'd even like anyone in Sooga Village? You are the only one in Sooga, other than Santa, who isn't dating." Pucca laughed.

"That's true... There is no one else in Sooga." Ching commented. '...Abyo, Dada... Wait, there's SsoSso, and... a bunch of other guys. I'm not the only single one!' I thought.

"What if you pretend you're gay!" Abyo said. With that single comment, I went completely thoughtless and speechless. I didn't know where in the world he would get such an idea. I practically jumped when I heard Pucca slap herself in the forehead with her hand.

'She must be thinking the same thing I am.' I wondered, as I looked at her. I smiled, then looked back to Abyo, who had a pleased look on his face.

'How could _I_ be gay. Honestly. _Look at me._' said my mind. There wasn't any way in the world it would work.

"I honestly don't think I could pull it off." I said. 'Heck,' I thought,' I _know_ I couldn't pull it off.'

"Sure you could! It couldn't be _that_ hard!" Abyo grinned. I looked at him doubtfully before noticing the playful smirk on Pucca's face.

"If it's not that hard, then why don't you demonstrate for us how that would go?" she asked, innocently enough. Abyo's smile instantly disappeared. Ching and I practically fell to the ground laughing.

"No thanks..." muttered Abyo.

"Hm... well, I'm out of ideas." said Ching as she tried to catch a breath.

"Yeah..." I noticed my noodles were gone, and I pushed the bowl politely away from me.

"Were they good?" Pucca eagerly asked. Once again, I gave an honest answer.

"The best." She smiled, and I saw the blush creep onto her face. She began to stand up from her seat.

"Why don't we ask other people for ideas?"

"Yeah!" we commented in unison.

"Where to first?" I asked, right on her heels as we left the Goh-Rong. Ching and Abyo were behind us, and I could have sworn they were holding hands.

"Look. There's Dada! Let's ask him!" Abyo said, pointing to the figure walking out of the hair salon.

"Dada! Hey! Come here, we have a question for you!" yelled Ching. He turned around and waited as we caught up to where he was.

"Hey, guys!" He smiled.

"You seem like you are in an awefully good mood!" Pucca observed.

He smiled in response," Yep! I just took RingRing to the hair salon. She's in there getting her hair done. She said she was going to get a new hairdo just to show me."

"Aww" Ching cooed.

"That's cute." Pucca commented.

"We have a question for you." I interuppted. I wanted to get to the point.

"Okay, what is it?"

"Okay. Garu's problem here is-"

"Hmmhmmm." I coughed, stopping Abyo mid-sentence. Dada looked at us, waiting.

"Right. Let's say this is all hypothetical. Say a guy... like... Garu, for instance... Say he just found out he is getting an arranged marriage. Okay? Okay. But he doesn't want to be in the arranged marriage. What say you to that situation?" Abyo said. For once, he actually sounded almost smart. Dada stood for a second. He was probably taking the whole question into his head.

"Why wouldn't he want to be in an arranged marriage?" Dada asked.

"Because... The girl he'd be married to is like a brunette RingRing." mentioned Abyo.

"And what's wrong with RingRing?!" Dada said, half surprised and half angry. Abyo seemed intimidated by the slight anger in Dada's voice.

"Well...I-.. um..."

"Nothing's wrong with RingRing, Dada. It's simply that a girl like RingRing isn't the type of girl for Ga- I mean, for this guy in the arranged marriage." Ching covered. Abyo smiled admiringly down at her.

'Yeah. RingRing would be a handful. I couldn't handle all of that girly stuff Dada has to deal with. Salon visits and clothes shoppings! I couldn't do it!' I thought.

Dada nodded in what I hoped was understanding. "Right. Well... If it's a girl like RingRing, and its a guy like Garu... The guy would seem brave, and would have to fight _all the time_. Garu always does, atleast. And if it's a girl like RingRing, she'd want nothing to do with it. She'd be afraid she'd break a nail or something, y'know?" We all nodded.

"Thanks Dada! That's all we need to know." Pucca finished and started walking down the path. Dada walked back into the salon as we followed Pucca.

"Well that was useful," Pucca commented cheerfully.

"Now who should we ask?" asked Ching, equally cheerful.

"How about... SsoSso? Look, there he is now!" Abyo replied. SsoSso was walking down the path towards us.

"Hey SsoSso!" I called. He heard us, and walked to us, stumbling on a few rocks in the process. When he finally reached us, I decided it was my turn to ask him.

"SsoSso, I have a very important question. What would you recommend if someone wanted to break an arranged marriage?" I asked, my thoughts hopeful.

'If anyone knew how to do it honorably, it would be SsoSso...'

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Me:Again, I seriously, honestly don't mean to offend anyone because of anything, namely the whole gay situation. It was just an idea someone gave me, don't kill me! Plus, its supposed to be funny. :)  
Honestly though. Garu could totally pull off the being gay thing, and we all know it. Those who have seen a certain episode (cough-Stuck on Goo- cought cought)...millionth time this has been brought up here...  
Garu: SHUT UP!!  
Pucca: ...  
Garu: Nothing happened!  
Pucca:... Tobe was in your room. You don't even let me in your room.  
Garu: I .. I . There wasn't anything I could do! We were practically super-glued together! What if it were you and Ching were stuck together?  
Pucca: We are best friends. It'd be different. I'd be like a sleepover.  
Me: ... You had a sleepover with your enemy, Garu.  
Garu: I did not!  
Me: ... You touched hands.  
Garu: Did NOT!  
Me: Please, review :) Meanwhile, I will be looking up proof -goes to youtube-  
Garu: I did not.  
Pucca: She's looking up proof.  
Garu: I swear!-  
Pucca: If you aren't, then prove it. Hm?  
Garu: -sweat drop- How?  
Pucca: ...

To be continued xD


	12. Deal or no deal?

nwaahahaha. Chapter 12 :) Now, where were we??

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

'If anyone knew how to do it honorably, it would be Ssosso...'

Garu and I instantly exchanged surprised glances. The entire world seemed to stop for a single heartbeat, before Ssosso's quiet voice broke it.

"Why do you ask?" he inquired. I sighed. His wisdom had increased with years. Unfortunately, so did his curiousity.

"A... friend of mine is in an arranged marriage," Garu lied," and he wants to know the best way to end the marriage. He feels it is not... honorable... for his family." Garu gulped, refusing to look at us.

"Is that so?" Ssosso asked.

"Yes." Garu answered convincingly.

"Well. I am not sure there is an honorable way. An arranged marriage in itself is to be an honor in itself. Why someone would wish to break such a bond, I know not. I feel Master Soo would be one to speak to on such a matter." Ssosso commented, sitting down to begin his meditation in a random part of the path.

"Yes...I suppose so." Garu said quietly. Garu led the group away, but we stopped when we heard the monk's voice. His back was turned to us.

"And Garu, I wish you luck with your trial." Garu stood, stunned as the rest of us. We began to walk, but Garu seemed to be in a sort of daze, and continued to stare at the monk's back. Shyly, I put my hand in his and pulled. After the second tug, he responded and looked at me. The moment he looked down at our hands, I pulled away.

'I'm sure I am blushing like crazy, and Garu can see it.' I thought, which proved to only make my face blush more. Garu quietly followed us back towards the Goh-Rong. Past the flower shops, the candy shops... Ching and Abyo were ahead of us. I could hear them talking, but I didn't know what about. I let it rest, simply happy that I was walking next to Garu, and I wasn't forcing him too. I giggled at the thought.

Before I knew it, I felt Garu's arm pulling me off to the side.

"What was that for?" I asked. He nodded to where we had been standing not two moments before. The Salon door was opened wide with the help of Dada, and RingRing was standing in the doorway in all her hair's glory.

"Wow." I said. Well, it wasn't the first time today i'd been surprised.

RingRing's blue hair had been put half up, with a big side part and bangs. I had never realized how long and curly her hair was. I had to admit, it looked really nice. It was the first time I had seen her hair down since we had been about 5 years old.

"Well, what do you think? Do you like it?" She asked in her accent to Dada, who eagerly nodded. She gave a true smile before noticing us.

"Oh. Hello Ching, Abyo. Garu. Pucca."

Even after all these years, we still weren't best friends. I nodded in reply.

"I like your hair, RingRing. I never realized it was so long!" I said, trying to be nice. her mood immediately brightened.

"It is nice, isn't it?"

"Not to cut this short or anything, but we have a question for you." Garu said, cutting to the chase.

"Yes? What kind of question?"

"Its a public poll of sorts." I explained.

"Very well. Go on then." she responded, sitting down on a nearby bench with Dada.

"Say someone were getting an arranged marriage. How would you recommend someone get out of it?" Ching said, finally getting her turn at asking someone. RingRing sat in thought for a minute.

"I can't understand why someone wouldn't want to be in an arranged marriage. Unless its that girl... Brilanna, is it? I would _hate_ to be the one who marries her." commented RingRing. Another set of exchanged glances ensued. RingRing quickly caught on.

"What!? Who?" She asked. Garu looked to the ground.

"Garu?" She said incredulously. She gasped. We all nodded.

"Well in _that_ case..." She tapped her fingers on the bench, "Let me take care of it."

"Why, what will you do?" I asked, suspicious of her sly grin.

"Even Garu doesn't deserve that type of girl." She said.

"And what is that supposed to mean?" I asked defensively.

"Nothing!" She huffed," I mean... I'll talk to you about it later, okay? I promise. But after seeing what happened this morning in the Goh-Rong, I can't just let this go by without helping the slightest bit."

'Great...' I worried.

"Right... Well, we'll be on our way then!" Ching said. We left the sweet couple to head towards the bamboo forest.

Only about halfway there did we realize what exactly we were heading towards.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Well. Okay. in my honest opinion, I really liked the beginning of the chapter. it's fun to write for Ssosso. i've been reading The Scarlet Letter lately for school, that's why I think the writing has improved... On to the roleplay XD Also, sorry this chapter is short.

_to be continued...  
Pucca: If you aren't, then prove it. Hm?  
Garu: -sweat drop- How?_

Pucca:... Heh heh. I'll go easy on you... For now. Go get me something I really want. -smiles sweetly-  
Garu: ... Like what?  
Pucca: That is for me to know and you to figure out.  
Garu: -sigh- Very well...-walks out of studio-  
Pucca: YAY!  
Me: -suddenly shows up- LOOK GARU! I FOUND... Wait, where is he?  
Pucca: Getting me something I like!  
Me: ... Like what?  
Pucca: -shrug- Good question.  
Me: -smacks forehead-  
Pucca: And now...  
Me: We wait...


	13. Drama and Enemies?

Okay, again I apologize for the last 2 chapters being so short. The last chapter I especially am sorry for, I was rushed by a certain friend of mine to write it xD I will make up for it by making this chapter extra long! Anyways... This was a fun chapter to write. I hope you like it. :)  
When we left off:  
RingRing had offered to help with the whole situation. Pucca wasn't sure that she wanted her help.

On to Garu's point of view!

.Chapter 13.

'What will RingRing do?' I silently wondered as we walked through the bamboo forest. We had been walking for a while now. I could sense that we were close to my house. The soft sound of grass was soothing, considering the current situation we were in.

"You've been awefully quiet, Garu." Pucca's voice broke the silence.

"Yeah, I guess I have. After all those years of not talking, it sort of becomes a habit of mine." I explained with a grin. She nodded and smiled in return. Suddenly, her footsteps stopped.

"Oh my..." She whispered.

"What?" I asked. Ching and Abyo were behind us. They looked at Pucca in surprise as well. I looked back again to see that they were holding hands.

"As if the whole Brilanna situtation didn't make it awkward enough for Pucca and me." I grumbled under my breath. I glanced to Pucca, and followed her angry gaze ahead of us. My heart practically stopped.

There was my house. And there was the stuff that _used_ to be in my house. My wide eye's shifted around to all the stuff that was now laying in my front yard. Pots and pans, random other supplies...

"My bed!?" I said, angry. A rush of wind went past me, along with a red blur, and not two seconds later, Abyo, Ching, and I were holding back the arms of a fuming Pucca.

"Pucca! Calm dow-OUCH!!" Abyo screamed after Pucca methodically kicked his leg, bringing the kungfu master to the ground.

"Let me go! I'm gonna kill that little-"

"Pucca! You are overreacting, let's just talk it over some-"

After a loud thud, I realized Pucca had just managed to push off Ching aswell, and that I was the last one left holding her back. I looked to Ching and Abyo, who shrugged at me. Pucca was trying everything to get me off. One punch probably could have knocked my head off. I heard Ching gasp as one punch was so close to my head that I felt my pigtail move.

"Pucca! Calm down!" I commanded, but she wouldn't listen. "Pucca, violence isn't an option."

I held her arms at her side and gave her what would have been, in normal cicumstances, a type of hug. She still struggled, but was beginning to get worn out after the adrenaline rush was over. After a second, she was standing still, and I let go. She had her eyes closed, her head looking down, and her hands were balled into fists at her side.

"I told you that some things would have to change around here, Garu-cakes.". I looked up to see Brilanna standing in the doorway. She was wearing that ugly smile of hers. She walked out onto the yard to continue her speech.

"I decided that we would need a bigger bed." she said as she walked closer. Then, she whispered into my ear. "There is no way I'm sleeping on the floor, even if it is with you."

"Yech." came Pucca's defiant voice. I could still recognize her anger, but revenge, or something like that, had apparently tried to take over. Brilanna turned to glare at her.

"What? You still have a problem with my relationship with Garu? Didn't you learn your lesson this morning?" Brilanna said through clenched teeth.

"Hah!" Pucca scoffed, "What lesson? You were kicked out of a resaurant!" This only agitated Brilanna further. Abyo and Ching continued to stay out of this. Abyo looked like he was afraid, and was hiding behind Ching.

"Pucca, let's just go..." I whispered. Brilanna's glare shifted to me.

"Oh no you don't. We are going to be married soon. You are going to help me clean our house. It will be _your honor._" She grinned again. The same feeling washed over me everytime I heard the word 'Honor'. I shook my head.

"No." This caused everyone to look at me.

'Wow...I really do do everything for honor...' I wondered, disgusted at myself. I was so worked up about returning honor to my family, that that was all I ever focused on, and the realization hadn't really hit me till now.

I grabbed Pucca's hand and pulled her back towards Sooga Village. Ching and Abyo instantly got up and followed. I didn't say a word when she began to throw a fit.

"GARU! GET BACK HERE!" She screamed, "If you take one more step-"

I broke into a sprint, still pulling Pucca along with me. She easily kept up. I looked over to her face, noticing a slight blush.

"I still don't care."

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Finally, we slowed down, and we were afraid we were lost. We sat down in the shade of a random tree. We waited a few minutes before we began to talk.

"That is your fiancee?" Abyo asked, still panting for air.

"No. That _was _my fiancee." I grumbled.

"She won't force you to marry her?" Abyo asked, concerned.

"There isn't a chance in-"

_Fwoosh._

"You have GOT to be kidding me!" I yelled as a shuriken flew past my head and into the tree I was leaning on, "Tobe, beat it!" I didn't know where he was, but he was the only one who knew how to aim with the pointed weapons, other than myself. Another one flew by, followed by multiple black shapes falling to the ground infront of us.

"You stupid ninjas! I told you to attack, no to fall!" his voice said it all.

"Tobe, not right now," Pucca begged. He jumped down from the tree and stood with his arms crossed.

"And why do you think I would let you get off so easy today?" He asked, preparing himself to fight. I continued to sit. There was no way I was fighting today.

"Because. You try getting an arranged marriage and see how it works out." I replied. He stood in thought for a moment before it dawned on him.

"You are engaged to that brat!?" he blurted out.

"Yeah. Thank you Captain Obvious." Pucca muttered.

"Daaaang. I'm sorry." He said as he proceeded to sit down infront of his pile of ninjas.

"You should have seen his house!" Abyo said. I wanted to grab the nearest rock and throw it at Abyo for bringing up the subject, but I settled with a sigh.

Tobe glanced at Abyo, Ching, me, then Pucca. Finally, he looked back at me.

"Why? What happened?" Tobe asked, and before I could answer, Pucca was giving my answer.

"That little witch threw all of his things out! And then she tried to bait him with the whole 'Honor" thing which, thank the world, did not work. And she was rude to me! How dare she though! And she acted like she won that fight at the Goh-Rong? Yeah, that was totally us that won!" Pucca said, running out of breath.

Tobe sat in silence, as surprised by the outburst as we were.

"So... You don't like her then, do ya?" Tobe asked me.

"Who?" I asked, figuring he could either mean Pucca or Brilanna, both of which definately would result in different answers.

"Brilanna."

"Ha... um. Let me think about it... NO!" I replied.

"What do you recommend we do, Tobe?" Ching asked sadly. He was imitating my meditation methods as he thought.

"You really want to end it?" He asked with a serious tone. I nodded.

'Even my enemy hates her...' I thought.

"I'll think about it. But I'll help you out. No one deserves to be married to _that._" He pulled himself out of his meditation, got up, and walked away. He stopped after walking 10 feet.

"Come on you lazy ninjas!" Tobe yelled. They scrambed to get up and followed behind him as he walked away.

"Great." I said.

'First RingRing, now Tobe...'

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

After taking another short walk, we made it to the edge of a familiar cliff that was hanging over water. The sun was setting, which made the sky amazing shades of oranges, yellows, and purples.

"I remember this place," she laughed. "This is where Dada first showed off for RingRing, you remember? He looked really nice, and no one recognized him." We nodded with smiles on our faces.

"Yeah, and now look at 'em! They look like a couple right out of a romance novel." Abyo commented with a grin.

I was watching the colors of the sky change, when I noticed a shadow of some type, floating across the sky. As it got closer, I recognized a cloud, and non other than Master Soo himself. He pulled the cloud up to the edge of the cliff and cleared his throat.

"I heard you were wishing to have a talk with me, Garu?" said Master Soo's strong voice. In 5 years, he sure hadn't changed much.

"Yes." I said, walking closer.

"Well, what is it, boy?"

"You see... I was wondering... Well..."

"Yes?"

"Is there any way to break up an arranged marriage?" I blurted out. I cringed, waiting for him to yell at me for even thinking of such a thought. Instead, he gave a soft reply.

"Yes."

I looked up in shock at him. He didn't sound the slightest bit angry, as I figured he would be. The most honorable ninja, ending his own marriage? Surely that would go against some rule. He chuckled in response to my shock.

"No everyone wants to go through an arranged marriage. I am sure you have a good reason for such a thing." I nodded.

"So if there is a way... Then what is it?" I asked.

"Simple! Burn that of which signifies the arranged marriage!" he smiled. I, however, was frowning.

"A symbol of the arranged marriage..." I thought aloud. It was his turn to nod.

"Yes. There is a symbol of some kind, isn't there? Something that says you will be married to Brilanna?" He asked. I stared at him in shock. How did he know it was her? Again, he chuckled.

"I just know things. You both must be present when burning the symbol, when you do find such a thing."

"And... What if there is nothing that symbolizes the marriage?" I asked, hoping he had another great idea.

"No such luck, Garu. That is indeed one of the most honorable ways to end an arranged marriage. Unless, of course, she chooses not to marry you. All of it is completely in that brat- I mean... Brilanna's hands." he said, then cleared his throat.

"That being said, Garu, is there anything else you would like to ask?" His glance passed behind me, and I had a feeling he was looking at Pucca. He quickly looked back at me and smiled.

"No..." I answered hesitantly.

"Nothing at all?"

"Nothing at all." I repeated.

"Very well. I shall be on my way then. Too-duh-loo!"

He floated away on his cloud. I sat down on the edge of the cliff, closing my eyes in meditation. I heard one quiet set of footsteps come up behind me.

"Well?" Pucca said, hopeful. She sat next to me and layed her head on my shoulder. A week ago, had we been in this situation, I would have shoved her off of me and run away. Now, however, it was a feeling of comfort that I didn't seem to mind.

"A symbol of the marriage needs to be burned. It has to willingly be witnessed by both Brilanna and me."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Me: I just had all of this written out. Then the computer did something weird, like refreshing the page without saving this ending part. ...-is angry and sleepy-  
Pucca: Aww thats okay.  
Me: Yeah. I guess... So. I HIT 2000 WORDS THIS CHAPTER!! I can't believe it! I really like this chapter. Much drama, I do suppose. And you get to see how the characters react that little brat. haha.  
Pucca: She deserves to be atleast beat up. Why won't you let me beat her up!!  
Me: Because... Also, I'd like to thank all my amazing readers! You guys are great! I will at some point get to answering my reviews, probably this weekend... its just that this week has been so busy with school and WRITING this chapter that I haven't had time to answer reviews. But I did read them!!  
Pucca: I read them too. I don't trust RingRing. Or Tobe!  
Me: Yeah well. tough. Anyways. Thanks for the reviews, again!  
Pucca: Where is Garu!?  
-Studio door opens-  
SLAM  
Garu: -panting- Here. -Hands Pucca flowers-  
Pucca: OMG!! YAAAY! -glomps Garu- THANK YOU!! -Kisses Garu. Then smells flowers-  
Garu: -Blushing- Heh... No problem...  
Me: AWWWWWWWW!!  
P.S. Don't forget to review! And tell me if there are any spelling or grammar errors, please! I haven't had time to read through ALL of this at once, I'm sorry. But I really wanted to get it up so I wouldn't keep you waiting!! :)


	14. Lovebirds

Wow, fanfiction got updated xD Crazy stuff, I'm telling you. it is confusing as... well. um.. a lot of things.

So, here is the next chapter, chapter 14! I do apologize for taking liike, what.. a month? to write this? I am sooo sorry. Between a convention, making up school work, teaching kids spanish, and a bunch of other stuff, I haven't had time to think aboutthis. but since one of my friends wouldn't let be rest until I made this chapter, I finally did. I hope it is okay, PLEASE tell me what you like and don't like. :)

By the way, it is in Pucca's point of view. Let's see how Pucca handles a few situations...

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

We were innocently walking along in quiet conversation until I realized the messy yard ahead of us belonged to Garu. I looked at him to see if he saw it. He didn't. I stopped to catch his attention.

"Oh... Wow..." I mumbled. Now past the trees and into the clearing, I could see the full piles of Garu's belongings. Our eyes flitted across the place before Garu said the same exact thought I was having.

"My bed?!" He said. I heard the anger escape his voice, a rare emotion for him until today. Within a split second, I was flying by him, ready to pummel the crap out of his little "fiancée".

Another second later, however, I felt three pairs of arms holding my fury back.

'Are you kidding?" I thought to myself, struggling against their weight. One quick kick to Abyo's shin took him.

"Let me go," I demanded, "I'm going to kill that little-"

"Pucca!" Ching interrupted. I didn't bother to listen to what she had to say, and instead roughly pushed her off of my arm. The following thud told me only one person was holding me back; my Garu. I was afraid to hurt him, but my single goal kept me going. I punched towards Garu, trying everything to get him to let go of my arm.

I heard his voice so close to my ear it made me blush.

"Pucca, calm down!" he said as I was still struggling to get away from him to find Lanna.

"Violence is not an option." And with that, Garu held my arms to my sides and wrapped his arms around me. If I wasn't blushing before, I sure was now. It wasn't long before I forgot Lanna and focused on the hug. I had my eyes closed, hoping that the random moment would last in my memory. All was peaceful. Then came the sound of Garu's sliding front doors, followed by steps. I opened my eyes to see Lanna on Garu's front porch. Garu's grasp on my immediately loosened and he took a few steps away from me. Lanna smirked.

"I told you that some things would have to change around here, Garu-cakes." A few steps later, she was standing next to my beloved Garu. I couldn't help but gag after the following few words I heard leave her mouth.

"...need a bigger bed... No way I'm sleepin' on the floor, even if it's with you..."

"Yech." came my feelings and thoughts wrapped up into one word. I looked away for a second, only to feel the burn of her glare on me. I then turned to look her straight in the eye.

'No fear,' I told myself.

"You still have a problem with my relationship with Garu? Didn't you learn your lesson this morning?" she muttered. I laughed.

"What lesson? You were kicked out of my restaurant!" Brilanna continued to glare at me until Garu's whisper broke the silence.

"Pucca, let's just go..." he pleaded.

'Let's? As in... he comes back with us?' I thought.

"Oh no you don't! We are going to be married soon..."

'Over my dead body...' said the defiant voice in my head.

"...clean our house. It will be _your honor_." I froze. 'No... How does she know about his honor and his... his... obsession with it?' I could have beaten her then and there had I not been shocked into silence. It made me angry and sad at the same time, knowing that Garu didn't have a chance when she said that-

"No."

My head whipped around to look at him. Was it really his voice that just said that amazing word? I could see the anger in his face.

With that, Garu did an about-face, took a few steps towards me, and reached for my hand. Instantly, he began leading me back to Sooga Village. I was still silent, stunned that he would ever willingly hold my hand. Brilanna's irritating yell, however, ruined the moment.

"Garu! GET BACK HERE! If you take one more step, then ... Then... it's your life on the line!"

I barely heard the end of the sentence before the rush of wind blocked out almost every other sound. I heard my breathing, and my bell necklace was jingling at my throat. Garu was sprinting, pulling me with him. I almost tripped, but quickly regained my balance and ran along side Garu. I looked over at his face, noticing both determination and confusion in his eyes. When he caught me looking at him, I felt the heat in my cheeks. He said a single sentence.

"I still don't care."

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

_Later; Sunset._

After the fight with Lanna, we walked towards Sooga Village until we ran into Tobe and his ninjas. After a long chat and another short walk, we found ourselves on a relaxing cliff edge. Instantly, we were reminded of how Dada and Ring Ring first became a couple.

Garu walked closer to the edge of the cliff than we did, drawn in by the amazing sunset. Everything was glowing with tints of orange, yellow, and purples. I took a minute to look around at the scenery. The sound of voices brought me out of my pleasant thoughts.

"Look, there is Master Soo... He's talking to Garu." Ching whispered quietly.

"If you would hush a little, we could hear what they are saying." Abyo muttered. One look from Ching was all it took for him to be quiet about the matter. I shrugged.

"I wouldn't want to listen in on this conversation," I admitted, "This is something between Garu and Master Soo..."

"And you..." coughed Abyo. I looked at him in surprise. Ching gave him a light punch on the arm.

"What?" he whined. Ching sighed.

"Sooo... What do you think is going to happen?" I asked.

"I think it will all work out for the best." Ching said reassuringly. I stole a glance at the cliff meeting and noticed Garu was nodding his head. I hoped that was good.

"And that means we will find some way to get rid of that Brilanna chick and put you in her place!" Abyo chirped. I felt a grin come to my face. Abyo's gaze shifted, and I followed it. My stare caught Master Soo's for a split second before he began to float away from the edge, leaving Garu to sit on the grass all alone. I glanced at Abyo and Ching. They were pointing back to Garu.

"Go!" they whispered. I got up from where I was and nervously made my way to where Garu was sitting. As I walked up, I heard him humming in meditation for a second. Then he stopped. He knew I was there.

"Well?" I asked nervously. I sat next to him and despite his whole fiancée situation, I put my head on his shoulder. Unlike every other time, he didn't tense up at all. He sighed.

"A symbol of the marriage needs to be burned. It has to willingly be witnessed by both Brilanna and me."

I lifted my head up in excitement.

"So it is possible?!" He flashed a quick grin and nodded.

"Yeah." he said. I wrapped my arms around his neck and hugged him.

"That's great!" I said, but his grin faded as he looked back out to the sunset. I sensed something.

"What?" He hesitated to answer.

"I don't know that there is a symbol of the marriage."

"Oh..."

We sat in silence for what seemed like forever, but in reality was only a few seconds. I looked at his face and hugged him again. I swore I saw him blush, but it could have been the red of the setting sky.

"I'll help you find it, Garu." He smiled and hugged me back.

"I know. Thank you."

"Yo! You two lovebirds up there! We should probably be getting back to Sooga." Abyo yelled, breaking our hug, and one glance at Garu proved that both of us were blushing.

"I forgot they were back there," he chuckled nervously. I nodded as we turned to walk to Abyo and Ching.

The sunset had finally gone down as we walked back into the bamboo forest. Ching and Abyo led the way this time, leaving Garu and I to talk alone.

"So you have no clue what the symbol of the marriage is?" I asked.

"Shhh..." Garu whispered. He nodded his head, indicating the couple ahead of us.

"Oh... Sorry." He didn't want Ching and Abyo to know, apparently.

"No, not a clue." He sighed again as he said it. "Or if there even is a symbol."

"Of course there is. There has got to be something." I assured. He just shook his head and shrugged.

"Like... I have necklace from you. That's a symbol between us. Maybe the symbol of you and-" I wanted to gag as I said it,"-Brilanna is ... well, 'right under your nose', as they say." He glanced at the bell necklace around my neck, and then looked at me.

"You kept that, after all these years?" he asked, grinning. I nodded proudly.

"Of course! I knew you would come around eventually." He laughed and looked ahead to see the couple ahead of us. Suddenly, his smile fell.

"What?" I asked. He looked at me, not much surprised by my observant nature.

"I have to go home, to sleep. And _she _is going to be there." A heavy sigh followed.

"Well," I thought, "Why not go to Abyo's house?"

"He'll keep me up all night sparring and playing games and talking." he said, a tired grin on his face.

"Yes, that is true," I yawned. "Why not my house then?" I asked hesitantly. We walked silently, and I thought Garu hadn't heard me. I was about to ask again when he cleared his throat.

"Yes, if you are sure?" he answered softly. I excitedly nodded my head.

"Of course!" I said for the second time tonight. Abyo and Ching stopped ahead of us.

"Well, here you go, Garu. This is the path that goes back to your house..." Abyo said.

Garu and I exchanged looks.

"Yeah."

"Sure you want to stay here? You can come to my house if you'd like?" Abyo offered, jumping up and down.

"Nah, I probably shouldn't. Maybe some other time, I have something to deal with tonight."

"Oh, okay..."

"Good luck."

"Thanks guys. I guess I'll see you tomorrow, hopefully." Abyo and Ching waved goodbye and walked off. I understood two things. He didn't want Abyo to feel bad. He also didn't want Brilanna to think Garu had died or left her or something; He was probably going to tell her he was leaving. I looked back to Garu as I walked away as well. He winked at me and I gave a smile bigger than the kids' in the candy shop, my stomach full of butterflies. He turned and walked slowly down his path, up the front porch steps, and went through his front door. His silhouette stopped in the doorway before finally sliding it shut. I turned back to the path and quickly ran to catch up with the couple.

When I reached them, I realized that I was the odd one out. There they were, holding hands, walking in the moonlight through the trees.

"And here I am, walking alone in the cold..." I muttered. I hoped Garu would make it out of Brilanna's grasp long enough to get to my house.

ooooooooooo

"Bye Ching!" I said as Ching left me. I continued walking down the pathway alone. The moon was bright and the cold air actually felt good. I walked in. The chefs were probably still cleaning up from another day of work. Dada had probably gone home. I walked up to my room, looked at my window.

Nothing was there.

I unlocked it and cracked it the slightest bit. A few magazines were on the bed, and I put them away. I changed into my pajamas, and about 10 minutes later, Garu still wasn't there. I went through the rest of my nighttime routine; brushing my teeth, taking my hair down and brushing it. I looked to the window. Still no Garu.

Not too long after, I got tired of waiting for him.

'First time I've ever thought that,' I noted sadly. I shut my bedroom door and latched the window shut. Then I turned my lamp off and pulled the covers up to my chin. The clock said 11:00pm. I groaned, realizing that I would have to get up early in the morning. I closed my eyes, hoping for a quiet sleep. My mind felt hazy and sleepy.

Then there was a knock. I opened my eyes.

There it was again, a knock on my window. I smiled as I saw a small pebble knock a third time. I stumbled to the window, unlatching it and opening it wide enough to look down.

There was my prince charming, a hand full of small stones, looking up at my window. I could tell in the moonlight that he looked exhausted, and I motioned for him to go to the front door. After he agreed, I grabbed my robe and hurried down the stairs to let him in. The lights downstairs were off, which meant my uncles were in bed. I unlocked the door and it squeaked open, revealing the cloaked figure of my dreams. I grabbed his hand and pulled him in, realizing the temperature drop outside, and quickly shut the door. I jumped up and hugged him, but I felt him flinch under the touch.

"What's wrong?" I asked, worried.

"N-nothing." he claimed. I shook my head.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Me: For the second time, this has happened to me; I type out all of this info, and it deletes it, or freezes the page, or something. UGH. so.  
At the moment, Pucca and Garu are in the next studio, currently going over chapter 15 in the making.... Since, you know, it IS from their point of view and all. Yup.

Just so you know, I enjoy writing from Pucca's point of view, because in real life, I'm sorta in that position... not an arranged marriage or anything, no. but. still..

Should I be worried that Garu and Pucca are in that room alone?  
-thinks-  
Nah. I trust them. :) they wouldn't do that. they are still trying to find out things that happened in this chapter.

Okay, so in review of this chapter (finally, I know...)  
Why does Pucca think Garu flinched? Why do you think he flinched?

Did anyone else find it odd that it says "the cloaked figure of my dreams"? It made me laugh.

How is my writing? Has it improved?

What do you think should happen next?


	15. My Love

I am sorry for any grammar errors ...Please tell me if you find any, so that I can fix them! this is an interestin chapter.... Guess what.. HAPPY THANKSGIVING WEEK! :)

We are on chapter 15 already!?WOW...

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Chapter 15.

"So you have no clue what the symbol of the marriage is?" Pucca whispered as we walked back from the cliff.

"Shhh..." I quieted, thinking about what would happen if the _entire_ town knew about it. The main people did, but I didn't feel like getting everyone involved. That just wasn't my style. And it would be my luck someone would be hiding in the trees.

"Oh... Sorry." Pucca murmured. I was quiet for a second, and my sensitive ears decided no one was in the trees. I calmed down and spoke.

"No, not a clue... Or if there even is a symbol." I continued.

"Of course there is! There has got to be something!" Pucca reassured. I just shrugged.

"I have necklace from you. That's a symbol between us. Maybe the symbol of you and-"she was silent for a second before going on,"-Brilanna is ... well, 'right under your nose', as they say." I stole a glimpse at the sparkling bell necklace around her neck before catching her eye.

"You kept that, after all these years?" I grinned. I couldn't believe she still had that, after all of that time. She cheerfully nodded.

"Of course! I knew you would come around eventually." I laughed as my gaze shifted to the path ahead of us. I went silent and thought about where it was leading... The last place I wanted to be at the moment. My "fiancée" would be waiting there, for me... And she would not like me one bit when I walked through that door, I was sure.

"What?" she questioned, looking at my face. I looked back, not surprised by the fact that she noticed my mood change instantly.

"I have to go home, to sleep. And _she _is going to be there." I let another sigh out and continued to think of how it would be when I walked into _my_ house tonight.

"Well," I thought, "Why not go to Abyo's house?"

"He'll keep me up all night sparring and playing games and talking." I frowned.

"Yes, that is true. Why not my house then?" She asked between yawns. I was ready to shake my head no. There was no way I would stay at Pucca's house. With my luck, she would lock me in the basement or something. Then I started thinking.

'Why not?'

We walked. I thought about the question, but in the back of my mind I was simply concentrating on the sound of our footsteps, along with other sounds that I couldn't identify. They were a soothing sort of sounds. Thud. Thud. Thud.

What would it hurt? I looked over to Pucca. She was twirling her fingers, probably embarrassed that she had even thought of asking me. She tilted her head up with her mouth open, ready to say something, but I cut her off.

"Yes, if you are sure?" I said, my voice coming out much more uptight than I meant for it to be, but Pucca didn't seem to notice as she nodded.

"Of course!" came Pucca's reply. She was smiling one of the biggest smiles I had seen in a long time from her. Ching and Abyo stopped ahead of us.

"Well, here you go, Garu. This is the path that goes back to your house..." Abyo muttered.

I looked to Pucca, trying to make up my mind on what to do.

"Yeah." I responded simply.

"Sure you want to stay here? You can come to my house if you'd like?" Abyo suggested.

"Nah, I probably shouldn't." I mumbled, looking at Pucca and hoping she would understand my reasoning. "Maybe some other time, I have something to deal with tonight."

"Oh, okay..." Abyo said in a disappointed tone.

"Good luck." Ching comforted.

"Thanks guys. I guess I'll see you tomorrow, hopefully." I silently stood and watched my three companions walk down the path, away from my house.

'_My_ house' I was instantly reminded.

Pucca shuffled along behind the other two, clearly taking her time to get back to town. she stopped in the path, unnoticed by Abyo and Ching, and hesitantly looked back towards me. She seemed surprised that I was standing there, but worried that I might not go through with her offer. She stared quietly at me.

_Thud, thud. Thud, thud. _I realized it wasn't footsteps, or any other unidentified sound at all, but the sound of my own heartbeat, and it had quickened with my thoughts.

I talked myself into giving her a wink, but didn't know if she saw it in the dark. Within two seconds, the doubt disappeared. The before-said smile was nothing compared to the one she showed me then. I turned towards the house, noticing some of the inside lights were on, and gave a guilty sigh. This was not how it should be.

I slowly walked up the steps, onto my porch, and stood in silence for a second, listening to the sound of my house. I couldn't hear anything, which worried and pleased me at the same time. I slid the door open, turned, and slowly closed the door. My gloominess left me for an instant as I was reassured at her shadowed figure skipping down the path.

_Click._

The door latched, and I turned to find the horror of my new house.

"Hello, Garu-cakes." said a voice from the dark side of the room. My vision adjusted to the lighting and I saw _her_, standing in the doorway to my room.

"What are you still doing here?" I asked, the annoyance in my voice obvious. She angrily sighed as she walked towards me. I stood still, with my arms crossed in front of me.

"I live here Garu." Her green eyes showed anger.

"No." I responded, staring her down.

"You have no say in this." Brilanna commented matter-of-factly. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes, and walked towards my bedroom. She didn't follow me until I reached the doorway. Her quick footsteps quickly reached the door. I was rummaging through my closet, looking for something to wear so that I could get out of this place for the night.

Her rude voice interrupted my packing. "And just what do you think you are doing, honey?"

"Nothing. It has nothing to do with you." I muttered. I heard her footsteps come closer, and her arms wrapped around my neck in a hug. I silently cringed, and thought better of pushing her off of me. That would only result in a huge fight, which was not what I wanted at the moment. I continued to ignore her hug and constant kisses on my cheek, and put a few articles of clothing into a bag. I grabbed my red gloves and cape as I turned, but I was stuck in her grasp.

"Brilanna. Let go." I ordered quietly. She shook her head back and forth on the back of my shoulder.

"No." she whined.

I set my belongings down and unwrapped her arms from around my neck. She held on with all she could, but naturally, I was stronger than her. After all my years of training, and the fact of her being a girl, I could easily win. I let go of her arms and backed away to the door, grabbing my bag in the process. She seemed as if she was about to cry. I sighed heavily, and wondered if I'd regret stopping.

"What?" I asked sharply.

"You don't like me..." she whimpered. I ran a hand through my bangs.

'Are you kidding me?' I thought.

"You wish I would just leave you alone or run away or something." she said, practically reading my thoughts. But I shook my head.

"No. I just wish you weren't forcing me to marry you." I replied honestly.

"You don't like me," Brilanna repeated, sobbing. She wanted me to hug her, comfort her, anything. She looked so small and pitiful. She needed someone to be there, to want her to be happy. Brilanna needed someone to care for her. To want to be around her...

I turned around on the spot, opened the sliding door, and walked out onto my front porch. The air had cooled down, so I threw my cape around my shoulders as I walked down the steps. I hadn't bothered closing the door behind me, and for what reason I don't know.

"GARU!" Her cry echoed throughout the entire bamboo forest. I heard birds fleeing, and I looked down the dark path to see Mio's yellow eyes. His figure darted away instantly towards town. I didn't blame him.

"Garu. This is the last time you are going to do this." She muttered, and I felt a sharp pain in my back. I felt myself slam into the ground; the only thing breaking the landing was the bag. I used my training to roll over and back flip into a standup position, and I as I looked at Brilanna, I felt honest fear. In her hands, she held a sword. I felt over my shoulder.

'My sword...'

"Ha." she muttered. She sounded half delirious. "You aren't going anywhere, young man." I went to a defensive position with my arms out in front of me, though Brilanna obviously had the upper hand.

"I may be a little girl," she sneered," but my kicks can sure pack a punch, no?" She circled around me. So that was just one kick from her? My back was still in pain, not to mention my pride. But now wasn't the time to think about that.

"Brilanna, just calm down. Put my sword down..." I pleaded, afraid that more than harmless threats would take place.

"Ha!" she said again. Suddenly, she came at me with my sword. She held it tilted upwards, obviously not trained in the way of a ninja. I grabbed her hands and rolled backwards, attempting to wrestle it away from her. She was still holding onto it, and she managed to wave it around enough to cut up my arms. I muffled a scream as it cut deeply into my arm. All of a sudden, I decided I was fed up.

"Enough is enough, Brilanna." I kicked out my leg, sending Brilanna flying out about ten feet away from me. The sword flew up above her, and as she landed with a heavy thud, the sword turned on her. It quickly flew down to her. The distance between them were decreasing by every second. 10 feet. 5 feet. 2 feet.

Brilanna was cringing, curled into a ball, as if having her hands over her would stop the sword from slicing right through her. My shadow dashed over her, catching the sword mere inches from her skin. I landed heavily on the other side, gasping for air. I was clutching my side, where one gash from the sword was. I heard her move behind me.

"Garu..." she breathed. She crawled and sat down, facing me. I looked into her green eyes, they seemed dull.

Not even Brilanna deserved that pain...

"How... how dare you!" she screamed, and in one swift motion, left a handprint on my face. I refused to show the pain. I wouldn't let myself. I sat with my eyes closed.

'I just saved that...that...-'

"How dare you..." she muttered lowly. I quietly stood, my sword in my hand. After throwing my cloak and gloves on, I picked up my bag and without a single glance back, I took off into the trees.

I rushed through the trees, the wind racing by me. I couldn't hear anything, I could barely see well enough to avoid the trees. Before I knew it, I was in the town, avoiding the stray cats, the random plants, and the clotheslines. I finally reached the place under her window.

"Pucca?" I whispered. I saw the light on, but no reply. I ignored the pain in my side.

"My love?" I muttered shyly. I looked around, wondering if anyone had heard me at all. Not a single sound coming from anywhere. I looked back up, just in time to see the light disappear.

"No!" I panicked. There was no way I could go back to my house. I waited in thought. I wasn't going to break in.

"Mew".

I looked up to see a jet black cat staring at me.

"Mew..."

"Go away, Mio. Not now." I argued.

"Mew." he spat, which forced me to look at him. Sitting in front of him was a small pile of pebbles. I smiled.

"Thank you, Mio." I patted him on the head before he walked off. I took the rocks in my hand and aimed for the window.

"1..2...3..." The rock hit the window right on. I waited a second, but nothing happened. So I tried again.

"Come on, Pucca. Wake up!" I urged under my breath. I took aim with a third pebble. Still, nothing happened. I was ready to get a fourth pebble when I heard a sound. I looked up to see Pucca's sleepy face hanging out the window.

She pointed towards the front door, and I walked over, picking up my bag. I lokoed around, half expecting someone to pop out from the bushes or something, but nothing did. I waited. Through the door, I could hear quick steps and the door unlatching. She opened the door and dragged me in. I tried to manage a smile through the pain in my side. At first, she didn't notice. Then she jumped up to hug me.

I wanted to fall over from the pain, but I didn't.

"What's wrong?" Pucca asked quietly..

"N-nothing." I lied.

"You flinched. What's wrong?" Pucca asked with a worried expression. I shook my head.

"Nothing." Unfortunately Pucca didn't believe me and turned on the light. As she turned, I wanted to just hide. The look on her face was pure surprise.

"Oh my-"

"Shhh. It is not that big of a deal, Pucca..." I mumbled. I glanced at the stairs. The last thing I needed was the chefs to be involved. Pucca 's eyes were blazing with anger.

"When I get ahold of that little-"

"Shhh." I attempted to calm. Pucca then proceeded to lead me upstairs and into the guest room. I winced with every step. The pain was harder to hold back now.

"Wait here." Pucca said, then walked out of the room. I reached after her, hoping that she wasn't going after Brilanna, but I had to catch myself on the door frame. I leaned there for a second. Then I made my way to sit on the bed. I took my cloak and gloves off and set them at the end of the bed. I heard a door swing, and I feared it was the front door. I felt a cold chill go through me as I looked down at my arms.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

How did you like it? its 1am right now, I'm a little too tired to write much of an artist's comment... but please, tell me your opinion. The whole fight idea? yeah that came to me AS i was writing it. that was fun. :XD:

You almost feel bad for Brilanna XD that part makes me laugh, I'm sorry... Please, review! Thats the only it can become better! And I still am taking ideas from the readers, so if you would like me to try to include one of your ideas in here, please tell me, and I will do what I can, as long as it fits withing the basic story line... welp...

Nightnight.


	16. Bandages

What is this, Chapter 16? Already? Wow... Okay, so... Yeah. I'll just cut to the chase. Here is Chapter 16, enjoy. :)

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"N-nothing." he claimed. I shook my head.

"You flinched, what's wrong?" I asked again.

"Nothing." Garu repeated. I didn't believe him. The sound in his voice wasn't steady. I flipped the switch on the light and turned to face him again. I brought my hands to my mouth as I gasped in surprise. Garu looked away, hiding the side of his face from me.

"Oh my-" I muttered in shock. His face quickly turned back to me.

"Shhh. It is not that big of a deal, Pucca..." he whispered while looking around the room behind me. I could feel the anger rushing through me. The thought of Garu..._My_ Garu, getting slapped by her...

"When I get a hold of that little-" I thought out loud.

"Shhh."

I grabbed a hold of his arm and lead him upstairs. After one step, I felt his arm tremble. I looked back as we stumbled up the stairs. His head was hung down in pain, I could hear him gasp with every step, and his hand was holding tightly onto mine. After a second glance, I noticed that it wasn't just his face that was injured. His arms had bloody scrapes all over them. I wanted to stop there; It was causing him pain, and I couldn't deal with that. But one glance from him told me to keep going. I led him into our guest room, helping him to sit on the bed.

"Wait here."

I heard him move behind me as I noiselessly skittered back down the stairs, and silently hoped he wasn't trying to follow me. The sight of the hand print and the blood on his arms stayed with me, and it definitely didn't help my anger issue. I gathered some materials from the kitchen, including a solution and bandages from one of the medicine kits I had found, before running back upstairs. I returned to the room to find Garu, attempting to get his boots off. His cloak and gloves were already sitting at the foot of the bed. The bruise on his face seemed to be getting worse already. He looked up as I entered the room. It wasn't until then that I noticed the big gash across his side.

I was shocked at the amount of blood visible on the black shirt. The wounds on his arm were nothing compared to it. Garu looked at where my eyes were, then looked back to me.

"Pucca... I-It isn't that bad, Pucca..." he muttered between gasps of air. I quickly set down the solution and cloth bandages I had forgotten I was holding.

"Garu, let me see it," I demanded. He hesitated before lifting the edge of his shirt up to reveal the cut. I admit, my heart was racing and my breath was caught in my throat. But I quickly shook my head and tried to discourage any thoughts that would follow. I brought my mind to the current situation; Garu was hurt, I was helping him... The blood on the shirt made it seem much worse than it was, but it was still causing Garu pain.

"Garu, lean over." I said quietly. He did as he was told. I used the medicine kit and did everything I had been trained to do in last summer's emergency clinic. The entire time, I could tell Garu was holding his breath, holding back what pain he felt. I finally wrapped the bandages around his middle. As I tied it off at the end, my hand brushed again his skin on his side, and he gasped again. I looked up at him, worried that the pain had caused him to gasp. Then I realized the look on his face wasn't one of pain. He was looking me straight in the eye, blushing as much as I was now. We quickly broke eye contact and my attention shifted to his arms. Luckily, they weren't near as bad as his side. I quickly cleaned the wounds and bandaged them. I let out a deep sigh that I hadn't realized I'd been holding, and sat next to Garu on the bed.

"Better?" I asked, leaning forward to look at his face. He quietly nodded as he gazed back.

"Do you want some ice for that?" I said, motioning to the bruise on his face. He nodded and grinned this time.

"Okay. You wait here." I said as I got up. He smiled. As if he was going to go somewhere else?

In the time it took me to get ice from the freezer, put it in a bag, and run back upstairs, Garu had discarded his ruined shirt and was lying on the bed. His eyes were closed, he was breathing slowly. He reminded me of an angel, and I didn't want to wake him up.

I laughed to myself. Any other day, I would make fun of the shows and music that would say the very same thing I had just thought.

'Why would the guy be called an angel?' I used to ask myself. Now I knew why, though I still was surprised by the thought.

I must have made some sort of noise, because Garu's eyes slowly opened and looked at me. That, or he sensed me standing here. I smiled with embarrassment, but I tried not to let him see. I had been staring at him, for goodness sake!

"I brought your ice..." I mumbled. He tried to sit up, but groaned and went back down to the pillow. I was at his side in a second.

"Here," I said, smiling, "and calm down. You don't want to hurt yourself anymore." He smiled with me as he took the ice to put on his face. He closed his eyes. I stifled a yawn, but he noticed with out even looking at me or moving in general.

"Pucca, you need to go to bed." he smirked. I sat still for a minute before speaking.

"Very well..." I whispered reluctantly as I got off the bed. I stopped at the door and looked back. His eyes were still closed, his smile was gone.

"Go to bed, Pucca." he said, a faint grin showing. I quietly nodded as I turned off the light.

"Goodnight, Garu." I whispered into the darkness.

I rushed to my room, turning off my light and quickly climbing into bed. I closed my eyes, ready for a good night's sleep. After many minutes of restless thinking, I somehow managed to get to sleep.

oooooooo

I was hiding in the brush of the bamboo forest. The moon was hidden. I glanced around me, unsure of where I was, until I caught site of Garu's home. A loud crashing sound came from inside, and the front sliding door slammed open. A figure was silhouetted in the doorway.

Garu was stumbling down his steps and into the bamboo forest. He was gasping for air. The forest was dark; Garu was looking around wildly, running from something or someone that he couldn't see. I followed along noiselessly as if I was floating in the air. Suddenly, he tripped and lay crouched on the ground, breathing hard. His arms were covered in blood.

Behind him, a figure arose from the darkness. Whatever it was, it was cloaked in black. Glowing green eyes shown through the darkness, and a glimmer was seen coming from under the cloak. It was a sword.

"You will pay." muttered the owner of the deadly green eyes. Garu made an attempt to stand, but failed. He rolled on the ground, his face contorted with pain. He hid his weakness before facing the figure.

Garu quietly pleaded, "You don't have to do this-"

"Hush!" The shadow demanded. She lifted the sword towards Garu's trembling frame. Her long fingers were wrapped around the sword's handle. Garu hid his face for a second as she raised it above him, then looked her straight in the eye.

"You will not win," Garu murmured angrily, "She will come for you, you know..."

His dark eyes matched her bright green ones. For only a second, she hesitated. Then the sword came down with a sickening clash-

"GARU!" I screamed as I shot into a sitting position. I waited for my eyes to adjust to the darkness, sitting with my arms wrapped tightly around me knees, quietly sobbing.

"Pucca? What's wrong?" said a figure in the doorway. The light switch was flipped on to reveal a very exhausted Garu. He was leaning on the doorway with one arm, and his other arm was putting pressure on the bandage around his middle. I had stopped sobbing, but I couldn't hide the fear in my eyes as he looked at me.

"Pucca?" he asked again. I shook my head.

"Nothing." I sniffled quietly. He came and sat down on the bed beside me. His hand moved to my face. His fingers gently lifted my chin to look at him.

"You were crying." He said softly. I turned my face away, attempting to smile, and doing everything I could to keep from hugging him.

'He's alive; it was just a dream... A horrible, awful nightmare...'

"You weren't supposed to notice that..." I mumbled.

"Why? Are you crying, I mean?" he questioned.

"It was nothing, really... Just a nightmare, that's all."

Apparently, he was amused, because a grin suddenly came onto his face.

"You screamed out loud, it wasn't just 'nothing.'"

"It... You were injured, someone was trying to kill you, and... And I wasn't there- Well, I was, but... I... I couldn't help you..." I stuttered quietly. He leaned forward and gave me a gentle hug. It was all he could do without hurting himself.

"Well, I assure you. I am fine. It was probably just a replay from what happened tonight, and your imagination got carried away," he comforted. I carefully hugged him back, laying my head on his shoulder. The dream had been so realistic, I was afraid to let go of Garu. I wouldn't be able to take it if Garu was... was-

Garu let go and backed away some, smiling at me. "Do you think you are going to go back to sleep after this?" I shook my head honestly.

"No." I said. We looked at each other for a moment before his smile faded. He looked away as he stood up, and I noticed the slight blush on his face. Just as I had done earlier, he walked to the door, but stopped and turned back to me.

"Goodnight, Pucca," he whispered as he turned the light off again.

"Goodnight, Garu," I replied shyly.

"Sweet dreams..." I heard him mumble as he left my room. I waited for the sound of him reaching his room before lying back down under my covers.

'It was just a nightmare...'

oooooooooooooooooooooooooo

I awoke with the sun shining through my window. Another sunny day in Sooga. I thought of the horrible night before and quickly pinched myself.

'Nope. Not dreaming.' I smiled. I proceeded to push the covers back and slip my legs over the edge of the bed. Just as my feet touched the ground, 3 figures were crowded around my bedroom door.

"Pucca!" said a very sleepy Uncle Dumpling.

"What is Garu doing here?" asked Ho.

"Why is he in the guest room?" question Linguini. I looked at them and yawned. They were tired and didn't look very happy. Despite the night before, however, I was in the brightest mood possible at this point.

"Pucca," Uncle Dumpling demanded," what is he doing here?" I shrugged and took a second to think over an acceptable answer.

"He simply... couldn't stay at his house last night, so he had to come here." I said as I went to my dresser and began to brush my hair.

"Why didn't he stay at Abyo's then?" asked a suspicious Linguini. I didn't bother to look at them; they would notice the look on my face and know I was lying.

"There wasn't any room for Garu to stay at Abyo's house... And we have plenty of extra rooms, so I offered to let him stay here." From the corner of my eye, I noticed them nodding to each other.

"We will let you off this time, Pucca. But next time, let us know ahead of time."

I nodded in agreement.

"Okay, I will. Thank you!" The left my room and closed the door behind them. I quickly ran to my closet and pulled out one of my usual outfits. After grabbing that, I tiptoed to the bathroom. I took a quick shower, and was dressed and fixing my hair when I heard a knock on the door.

"Yes?" I asked.

Garu's voice replied from the other side of the door.

"I will be downstairs when you are done."

"Okay, I will only be another minute, so I will be down there soon." I quickly finished getting ready and ran downstairs to see that the Goh-Rong hadn't even opened yet. Garu was sitting at the back table, as normal. He was drinking something, probably tea. He had his t-shirt with a heart on it. His arms were still bandaged. I slowly made my down the rest of the stairs and made my way to Garu's table. He quietly looked up and smiled at me.

"Good morning, Pucca!" he said cheerily. I laughed at his happy mood.

"Good morning. How are you feeling on this wonderful morning?" I asked as Dada brought out a cup of tea and disappeared into the kitchen without a word.

"I could be better. But this is pretty good." He smiled. I noticed his hair was wet.

"Did you take a shower this morning?" I asked curiously. He nodded and grinned.

"I woke up earlier than you. I didn't have anything to do, so I went ahead and took a shower. I hope you don't mind."

I shook my head. "Nope, not at all. What about your bandages, though?"

"I redid them all by myself, aren't you proud?" he laughed. I nodded and sipped my tea.

All of a sudden, there was a timid knock on the outside doors. Garu started to get up, but I motioned for him to sit.

"Garu, rest. I can manage to get the door." I said. I looked out the tinted windows to see Ching standing beside Abyo, waiting for me to open the door. I quickly unlatched it, let them in, and locked it again.

"Morning Ching! Morning Abyo!" I said happily. We all walked to the back table and sat down with Garu. Dada, used to this early morning meeting, brought three more cups of tea and sat down with us.

"Good morning, Dada!" Ching chirped. He nodded in reply.

"So, Garu... What are you doing here this early?" Abyo asked.

"Yeah... How were you the first one here?" Ching followed. Garu and I exchanged glances. Then I looked at Dada. From the look on his face, he already knew.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

I dont really have a lot to say about this... So please, review, tell me what you liked and didn't like... I'm thinkging about having this entire story done by Christmas... But then again, probably not. I am aiming for Christmas though... Please review. if there is something you didn't like, the ony way I can make it better is if you tell me! Thank you to all my wonderful, awesome reviewers!

And by the way, the Pucca and Garu roleplays will be back next chapter... They are currently still on thanksgiving break. If you have something you would like them to talk about at the end of the next chapter, please tell me that in a review also. :D

Well, I'm out! -S.S.


	17. What would it hurt?

Chapter 17... I can't believe we are here already :) one of my friends went on a trip, and she just got back... And I promised her chapter 17 when she returned... so... I started writing it the NIGHT of her return. Yipee! its done now!

So... where were we? WHY do I keep forgetting this, ARG!

Chapter 17

I crawled back up to the bed and decided I needed to see how badly injured I was. I carefully pulled my blood-spotted gloves off of my hands, and untied the cloak from around my shoulders. The stinging in my face began to go numb as I noticed the pain in my middle. I looked down to see what the blood on my gloves was from. A big, bloody gash went across my side to the front of my stomach. I hadn't noticed the size of it until now.

Suddenly, I heard quick footsteps on the stairs, and I hurriedly bent down to take off my boots. I winced in pain, but sucked it up and didn't let my face show it. Pucca appeared in the room seconds later, holding some type of medical kit in her right hand. I looked up as she walked in, and she gasped. She was staring at me in shock, and although I knew why, I glanced down to see how bad my shirt really looked.

"Pucca... I-It isn't that bad, Pucca..." I mumbled. The pain in my side had suddenly increased and I struggled to breath for a second. I heard her set down the kit and run to me.

"Garu, let me see it," she insisted. I waited a minute, both from the severity of the pain and the shock of what she was asking me to do. In any other situation, it would have been different, of course. Right now, she was trying to help me, that was all… Nothing bad… Pucca glanced up at my eyes before I lifted the bottom of my shirt up. Her eyes flicked down, and I noticed her barely shake her head. Her cheeks turned a light shade of pink, and had it been another situation, I would have laughed.

'Pucca always seems so sure of herself, and one thing happens, and look at her…' I chucked to myself.

"Garu, lean over." she whispered calmly. I did as she said, though it stung a little more to stretch out the cut. I closed my eyes, trying to ignore any pain and the thought of her hand gently touching my side to cover the cut. After what seemed like forever, I felt bandages tighten around my stomach. I let go a breath of air I had been holding and realized the pain had dulled. I looked down to see her secure the bandage. I was surprised at the quickness of her little fingers. She was finished, and moved to get up, when I felt her hands skim across my skin. I took in a quick breath of air, and she glanced worriedly at me. As I tied it off at the end, my hand brushed again his skin on his side, and he gasped again. After a second, her worry changed into a surprised blush, and she looked away towards my arms to give her something to do. It didn't take her near as long to fix both arms up, and she sat down with a sigh beside me on the bed.

"Better?" questioned Pucca as she looked at me. In nodded and glanced back.

'Much better'

"Do you want some ice for that?" she ask. I didn't know what she was talking about until she pointed towards my face. I grinned and nodded. I hadn't even noticed the pain through my cuts, but now that they were bandaged up, I could feel the bruise forming on my face.

"Okay. You wait here." She walked out of the door and flew downstairs noiselessly.

'As if I was going to go somewhere else?' I asked myself.

I looked around the room and carefully pulled my shirt up and over my head. I tossed it into the trashcan so smoothly that it would impress the best basketball players in Sooga; I couldn't play sports worth a dumpling, but I could make a ruined shirt go into the trashcan with ease.

I laughed as easily as I could as I lay down on my bed. I closed my eyes, thinking about what had happened in the past few minutes, hours, and days.

'So much.' I answered myself in my head. I had a fiancé. Then that same person had tried to kill me… And was currently in an unconscious, and was possibly soon to be very physical, battle with Pucca… And someone was bound to get hurt. With the power Brilanna had tonight, even Pucca might have a tough time. Brilanna could take RingRing and Pucca both, at the same time, effortlessly. Well, effortlessly was stretching it a little, I thought. She would have a tough time, especially with Pucca. She didn't give up on anything, especially on me. She was always there, always helping, always getting in the way and helping… Although, the way I was treating her lately, I wasn't so sure that-

I heard Pucca as she tried to keep quiet. I opened one eye and gazed at her as she stood in the doorway, surprised that I saw her. I wondered silently about how I didn't even sense her walk in, and the thought scared me. Was I losing my ability to sense things? Surely not… I was at the top of my training… As I watched Pucca smile, I realized why, and all worry disappeared. She was embarrassed because here I was, laying on this bed, no shirt or anything. I chuckled again at the surprisingly shy girl.

"I brought your ice..." Pucca mumbled as she walked towards me. I was about to sit up, but a sharp pain stabbed into my side and I collapsed back onto the pillow. Pucca took two big strides and handed me the ice.

"Calm down, you don't want to hurt yourself more..." she whispered lightly.

I took it, setting it on my face and closing my eyes in quiet meditation again. My mind was instantly flooded with thoughts about what I was going to do to get myself out of this mess. Why had it even happened to me? It wasn't like I wanted anything to do with it.

A quiet yawn brought me out of my thoughts for mere seconds before I realized it was Pucca's. I didn't bother to open my eyes.

"Pucca, you need to go to bed." I muttered with a grin.

"Very well..." she whispered and slowly got up to walk for the door. I quickly focused on her, sensing her every movement. Surely, my training wasn't going to waste. I listend to each footstep, the smell of her grew fainter, but it was still there. The footstep stopped.

"Go to bed, Pucca." I advised. She turned out the light, and I couldn't help but grin. I could sense Pucca, and that idea thrilled me. She hesitated in the doorway.

"Goodnight, Garu." she whispered sleepily.

She tiptoed to her room and went to bed. I rolled over, closing my eyes and trying to fall asleep. However, the thoughts raced through my head and didn't give me a chance to wind down.

I sat in that bed for an hour, rolling, grumbling, switching places, fluffing pillows, and rearranging the blankets, before I finally got comfortable. I closed my eyes, pulled the blanket up to my chin, and wrapped my arms around my middle, finally ready for a good night's sleep, when I heard a voice in the other room. It didn't take me long to recognize Pucca's mumblings.

'How cute... She talks in her sleep...' I thought to myself as I cleared my mind to sleep. Within two seconds, however, I had ran the distance between my bed and Pucca's doorway, gasping for air at the throbbing pain in my side.

"GARU!" Pucca screamed as I stood there, looking at her. She was curled into a ball in her blanket. I turned on the light, worried about what had happened.

"Pucca? What's wrong?" I asked, bewildered by the fact that she was bent over, crying. She looked at me and the tears stopped, but I saw the look in her eyes. It was fear... but of what?

"Pucca?" I asked again, when she didn't respond. She was starting to worry. I had no idea how to calm the girl, especially when she wouldn't tell me what was wrong.

"Nothing." she sniffed, shaking her head back and forth. I slowly walked to her, setting on the bed. My hand unconsciously went to her cheek, wiping away one last tear and lifting her face to look at me. She couldn't hide anything from me if she was looking me straight in the eye.

"You are crying." I whispered, as if such a thing just wasn't possible. She turned away and hugged her knees.

"You weren't supposed to notice that..." she said sadly. Her eyes wouldn't even glance at me.

"Why? Are you crying, I mean?" I was still staring at her face, trying to figure out what was the matter.

"It was nothing, really... Just a nightmare, that's all." she replied, still refusing to look at me.

"You screamed out loud. It wasn't just 'nothing.'" I said, breaking into a grin despite the concern and seriousness of my voice.

"You were injured, someone was trying to kill you, and... ,"she hesitated, looking up at me before going on, "And I wasn't there- Well, I was, but... I... I couldn't help you...." I looked at Pucca, and I felt bad for her. I had the sudden urge to pull her close and hug her tightly. I wanted to comfort her. It was all I could do, however, simply to lean forward and wrap my arms around her. I felt the warmth in my cheeks as I sat there for a second, realizing how nice it felt to be so close to Pucca.

"Well, I assure you. I am fine. It was probably just a replay from what happened tonight, and your imagination got carried away," I said, it being the first thing that came to mind. As we sat there, she put her head on my shoulder. I felt dizzy, suddenly, and slowly pulled myself away from her.

"Do you think you are going to go back to sleep after this?" I asked. I laughed as she stubbornly shook her head.

"No." she whispered as we shyly glanced at each other. Before I could say anything else, I forced myself to look away and go back to my room. I walked to the door, but turned back to switch off the light.

"Goodnight, Pucca," I whispered muttered.

"Goodnight, Garu," she said, barely audible.

"Sweet dreams...my love" I said in a hushed voice, half hoping she would hear me. When she didn't reply, I just kept walking to my room. I fell to sleep quickly, worrying of what was going to come...

oooooooooooooooooooooooooo

I could see the bright light through my closed eyes. I opened my eyes to see the sunset coming through my window. I somehow rolled into a sitting position and stood up, stretching in the least painful way possible. I walked to the bathroom, grabbing my bag on the way out.

I took a quick shower and changed into clean clothes. It was painful to wash the cuts and scrapes all over, but the bruise on my face was hidden surprisingly well. I slipped back into my room, trying to figure out how I was going to wrap up my cuts, when I noticed the medicine stuff on the table Pucca had left. I hadn't noticed the extra bandages there. I picked them up and, as best as I could, wrapped my stomach and arms the way Pucca had, putting slight pressure on it.

"Garu?" My head shot up to see Dumpling, Ho, and Linguini looking at me with shock. I felt very little and powerless compared to them. They exchanged looks, and then looked back at me.

"Morning, Garu," Dumpling said hesitantly.

"Good morning," I replied. Without another word, they turned away from my room and walked down the hall. I heard them stop at Pucca's room, but ignored them because at that point, they were none of my business. I looked at the mirror on the small dresser in this room, and noticed my hair. I looked like a mess, because it was still wet and I had forgotten to put it up in pigtails.

I dug through my bag to discover a brush, and I fixed my hair up into the usual pigtails. I remembered a time when I was little, when my hair wasn't so long. I wore it down because it never got in the way. Now, however, it was constantly in my face when down. I thought about cutting it, but decided against it. As odd as it seemed, it was a part of me. Me without this long hair was a crazy idea. When I was completely done, I decided to go see how Pucca was on this relaxing morning.

I shut the door behind me and walked down the hall overlooking the entire restaurant. The doors were closed, but the place was squeaky clean and quiet. Pucca's door was closed, and after a second, I heard why. The bathroom door was shut, and I heard what I hoped was Pucca getting ready. I timidly knocked on the door and waited for a reply.

"Yes?" asked a muffled voice. I breathed a sigh of relief.

"Hey, I will be downstairs when you are done getting ready."

"I will only be another minute. I will be down there soon." I smiled to myself as I walked down the closest staircase. I made my way to the back table, as usual, but it was weird with no one in the restaurant. Dada came out after not even minutes to bring mea a cup of tea, and I sipped it.

"So, Garu, why are you here?" asked Dada, not bothering to sit down. He quietly watched as I proceeded to take a drink of tea.

"To meet with everyone else. I guess I am just here early." I said nonchalantly. Dada grinned.

"I know better than that. The doors are still locked. Which means..." he stopped.

"Which means...?"

"You were here all night with Pucca! The chefs will have you killed!" Dada said. The look on his face was half joking and half serious. I quickly shook my head when I realized what he meant.

"I-I... Dada, no! That isn't what happened at all!" I said, trying to clear my name. He chuckled.

"Oh, really? Then what actually happened?" He seemed amused. I would have been too, but I didn't want him getting the wrong idea and telling everyone about something that didn't happen...

"I can't exactly go to my house, so I had to have somewhere else to stay..." I mumbled. It took him a minute for the thought to dawn on him.

"Oh. Brilanna."

"Yeah," I said, and all of the stressful situations flooded back into my mind.

"What about Abyo?" he asked. I sighed heavily.

"I just needed quiet time to think, and I wasn't going to get that around Abyo. Abyo doesn't have a private guest room, unless you count the jail cells, and I was not going to sleep on a cot." I laughed as I pictured myself sleeping in a jail cell. It had happened before, and it was extremely uncomfortable. And it smelled funny. And when Officer Bruce fell asleep, he snored really loud, and it echoed horribly.

"Well, here comes Pucca. I'd better go get some more tea." Dada said, turning around and walking back to the kitchen. I looked up as she walked down the stairs and slowly walked towards me. I smiled when she came closer.

'She smells really good...' I thought as she sat down beside me.

"Good morning, Pucca!" I exclaimed. Pucca giggled.

"Good morning," she replied as Dada brought her a cup of tea as well, "How are you feeling on this wonderful morning?"

"I could be better, but this is pretty good." I said truthfully.

She asked as if out of nowhere, "Did you take a shower this morning?" I nodded, not surprised by her attentiveness.

"I woke up earlier than you. I didn't have anything to do, so I went ahead and took a shower. I hope that you don't mind." I said politely, knowing that she probably wouldn't. She smiled.

"Nope. Not at all. What about your bandages, though?"

"I redid them all by myself, aren't you proud?" I laughed. She nodded and was taking a drink of tea when we heard a knock on the door. I tried to be a gentlemen by getting up and seeing who it was, but Pucca waved her hand at me as she got up instead.

"Garu, rest. I can manage to get the door." she mumbled jokingly. She walked across the room to let Ching and Abyo in before locking the door.

"Morning Ching! Morning Abyo!" I heard her say. They followed Pucca to our table as Dada came out with more tea.

"Good morning, Dada!" Ching chirped.

"So, Garu... What are you doing here this early?" Abyo questioned, giving me a suspicious look.

"Yeah, how were you the first one here?" Ching pursued. I looked at Pucca, she looked at me, and we looked at Dada. I tried to reply, but all that came out was a quiet stutter.

"I... uh-"

"Garu wanted to help me get the Goh-Rong ready this morning, so that he would have something to do. He met me at my house and then we came. We worked and cleaned, and now Garu is taking a good rest, as am I." Dada explained as calmly as if he were saying the sky was blue. I nodded with gratitude towards him. Pucca wiped the shocked expression in her face away, and replaced it with a silent smile.

"Oh. I see. You know, if you wanted something to do, you could have come woke me up." Abyo said.

"Normally, I would. I just have been meaning to help around here, and for once, I got to see what goes on behind the scenes. It was fun, really." I said, glancing at Pucca.

"What's with the new arm bandages, Garu?" Ching said innocently as she tasted her tea.

"Oh.... ummm..."

"I gave them to him!" Pucca explained, "I thought that he should have them, for working in the kitchen, so he wouldn't accidently cut his arms or something. We didn't have any extra aprons. They can help with training too. It is strong, and more protective than just gloves." Ching nodded, satisfied with the answer. I was grateful that the bandages only went from my wrist to a little lower than my elbow... They actually looked like training bandages this way.

"Have you figured out anything about Brilanna?" Abyo asked. I gave Pucca a look that hopefully said something like 'This is why I don't tell Abyo about these things.'

"No," I simply replied, and went back to drinking tea. Suddenly, another knock on the door came. Dada rushed to the door, trying to smooth his hair before he opened it.

"Morning, sweetie." Dada said before he and RingRing shared a kiss in the doorway.

"Good morning, handsome," replied RingRing with a shy smile. Dada took her hand and led her over to our table. He pulled up a chair for her and that sat down with us. We all said "Hello," before she looked at me. She coughed a little, and Pucca and her exchanged glances

"Pucca, might I speak to you... Privately?" she asked. Pucca gave a stiff nod, and they both got up and walked to the stairs to sit. They were probably discussing weird girly things.

"So, Garu. Are you going to tell Brilanna that you love Pucca?" Ching whispered, bringing me out of my thoughts. I hesitated, thinking of an answer. I stole a quick glance over at RingRing and Pucca.

"I don't know..." I said, doubting myself. Ching patted my shoulder, and I looked up to meet her bright eyes.

"I think that it wouldn't hurt," she comforted.

'She is already mad at me. What would it hurt?' I thought.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Me: GUESS WHAT! What was chapter 17! Guess what else! I'M ALMOST 17!! WOOOT! I'm so excited. Not only that, but I have a wonderful boyfriend to spend my birthday with. If you guys are wondering about Garu's bright mood, the way RingRing and Dada act, all that, I'm sorta getting it from how my bf acts.... Like, the GOOD MORNING thing. :)

Pucca: yes, we get it. you think its all grand to have a boyfriend.

Me: As of right now, you've got that right... So. I know its almost Christmas and all. but how was everyone's thanksgivings?  
Garu: Mine was pretty great -looks at Pucca- There was a BIG FEAST. so much food. then Abyo almost ate it all. HE ATE MORE THAN SANTA!

Pucca: You beat Santa, and Abyo STILL ate more than you.

Me: O_o ... You are talking a lot, Garu.

Pucca: That was a great feast; I got to help make the food and everything! And yes, we made him talk a lot...

Me: I see... So, what does everyone want for Christmas? so far, I'm wishing for a white, cold, and snowing one...

Pucca: Snow is fun.

Garu: Yes. I love snowball fights!

Pucca: yup... So Garu, what do you want for Christmas, gift-wise?

Garu: Uh... Well... I'm not too sure, let me think about it.

Me and Pucca: That sure helps a lot.

Garu: So, what do you want for Christmas, Pucca?

Pucca: -blushing- I'm not telling...

Garu: Please?

Pucca: -blushing heavily- I want to be with you...

Garu: Oh...-blushing heavily as well-


	18. A little meeting

I'm so sorry that it's been almost a month since my last update... However, I think I've figured out the ending, so it will hopefully go a little faster now. :)

I wrote this in 2 or 3 sittings,it took forever because I didn't know what to go to next. But a friend of mine in real life kept annoying me to write it, and since school semester exams are over, I promised I'd get it done... SO HERE IT IS! WOOHOO!

PS. This is Pucca's POV. lol

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Dada had just shown RingRing into the Goh-Rong, and after a quick kiss, led her to our back table. After she sat down, she glanced around and coughed. It caught my attention, forcing me to look at her. She was staring at me.

"Pucca, might I speak with you, privately?" she asked, standing up from the table before I could reply. She led me over to the red carpet stairs and sat. There was silence for a moment.

"Well?" I asked, wanting to get back to the table. Garu had already glanced at me once or twice, and I had the nervous feeling that they were talking about me.

"Earlier... I had said that Garu didn't deserve someone like Brilanna..."She whispered, looking at the ground.

"And?" I said, after she didn't continue. She looked me right in the eye as she spoke.

"Pucca, he deserves... He deserves someone like you..." RingRing finished. I was shocked that she had said something like that... The thought of RingRing talking to me about this matter... Being supportive of it... Had never occurred to me, and it was hard for me to believe...

"What?" I said, staring at her.

"You are what Garu needs." RingRing said.

"You really mean that, RingRing?" I said, a smile creeping onto my face. She nodded, also smiling. I gave her a big hug.

"Okay... Pucca... That's enough..." she said quietly, pushing me off her.

"Thanks," I said quietly.

"No problem," she replied.

"So, what did you plan on doing?" I asked. She gave me a confused look.

"You said you would take care of it, when we asked you about what Garu should do. You said you would take care of Lanna... What did you plan on doing?" I repeated. She looked away in thought before answering.

"She needs to understand that Garu feels nothing for her, but infact loves another girl... Someone other than Brilanna..." She said with a sly smile.

"Me?" I asked. She nodded.

"Yes. You like him and he obviously likes you," she said, and quickly continued," so Brilanna will just have to settle for the fact that he doesn't like her."

"I think she already knows that he likes me... And she wasn't too happy about it." I mumbled.

"What?" asked RingRing. I looked up to her.

"Yesterday, Brilanna completely tore up his house. Garu was angry at what she did, and led me away. And... He suffered later for it." She looked at me, waiting for me to continue.

"He... had a few cuts on his arms..." I said, leaving out the part about how he stayed the night here.

"That's why he has his arms wrapped today?" she whispered. I slowly nodded. RingRing's eyes flashed red for a fraction of a second.

"How dare that little-" I cut her off with a simple nod.

"I know. That's what I thought. RingRing... This can't go on any longer... I'm afraid that... that..." I looked down, my nightmare vividly flashing in my mind, my eyes beginning to burn with tears. RingRing put a comforting hand on my shoulder.

"He won't die, Pucca. We won't let him."

"But then what are we going to do? She won't give up easy."

"Well, Pucca, that depends on what you are willing to do to get Garu."

'I would die for him if I had to…' I thought.

"Anything." I replied, my voice sounding stronger than I felt.

"Good." RingRing grinned. "Now that we know that, do you have any ideas? I know you could totally take her." I shook my head.

"I told Garu that I wouldn't resort to violence. And with the damage she did to Garu, the best fighter I know, I don't think I'd stand a chance…" She sat in thought for a moment before replying.

"True, but Garu's fighting methods are different than yours. Garu has difference values than you. Just because she hurt Garu doesn't mean she'd beat you quite so easy. Garu respects girls. He won't fight them, normally."

"She threatened his life, RingRing! You should have seen the blood. He was in pain, RingRing. Real pain." She opened her mouth to say something, but thought better of it and waited a second before responding.

"Even if we were to fight her, it's always good to have a backup plan." She whispered, slightly changing the subject.

Suddenly, the memory of yesterday came back to me.

_"Well?" _I had asked nervously. I sat next to him, putting my head on his shoulder as he sighed.

_"A symbol of the marriage needs to be burned. It has to willingly be witnessed by both Brilanna and me."_

_"So it is possible?!" _He had nodded and grinned at me.

_"Yeah." he said. _I hugged him excitedly.

_"That's great!" _I had giggled, but I sensed a mood change as I looked at him.  
_  
"What?" He hesitated to answer._

"I don't know that there is a symbol of the marriage."

"Oh..." I had said quietly, my happiness leaving me as quick as it had come.

We sat in silence for what seemed like forever. I hugged him again as we watched the red of the setting sky.  
_  
"I'll help you find it, Garu." _I promised. He smiled and hugged me back, tightly wrapping his arms around me_._

_"I know. Thank you."_

Suddenly, I felt a waft of air, and I noticed the blurry motion of RingRing's hand waving in front of my face.

"Oh… Sorry. What?" I said, coming out of my thoughts.

"I said, 'So what is Plan B?' Weren't you listening?"

"Oh… Yeah. I was. Sorry. I have a backup plan." I said.

After waiting a few seconds, she blurted out, "And? What is it?"

I hadn't realized she wanted to actually know.

"There is…"

"Yes? Spit it out."

"There is a symbol of the marriage-"

"A symbol?" she asked a little loudly. I glanced over to the table and found that Garu was looking straight at me. I mouthed "What?" to him, but he shook his head, mouthed "Nothing.", and looked away, bringing his attention back to his table.

"Yes. But shh. You don't know this." After an understanding nod from RingRing, I continued.

"The symbol has to be burned and watched burned by both of them." I explained.

"Well, what is the symbol?" she asked impatiently. I sadly shook my head

"I don't know."

"Well… Surely Garu knows, right?" Again, I shook my head.

"Oh… Well… We'll just have to look for it."

"Garu isn't even sure that there is one." I commented.

"Of course there is, Pucca. There is a symbol for everything. Everyone knows that that necklace you are wearing is a symbol of Garu and your relationship. Everything has a symbol, you just have to look for it," she reassured.

"Yes... I suppose you are right."

"They are waiting for us, Pucca."

"Right, we should probably get back." We walked silently back to the table. As we sat down, everyone at the table grew silent. Garu and I exchanged a single glance, and I felt like he instantly knew what I told RingRing.

Suddenly, a knock on the door broke the silence, making all of us jump. Everyone at the table started laughing while I got up to see who was at the door. I unlocked it again and opened it to see a maskless Tobe standing there waiting.

"Hey, Tobe-"

"Hi Pucca." I scooted back to let him in before locking the door. We both walked back to the table. Tobe added yet another chair to our already-crowded table. Everyone mumbled hello as he sat.

"Have there been any ideas?" Tobe asked, looking around the table. His gaze settled on Garu, who glanced at me. He cleared his throat before speaking to our unexpected meeting.

"As you know, I am apparently involved in an arranged marriage. You also know that I do not want to be involed. However, the way Brilanna reacts to everything, there will most likely not be a simple way to end this. She has already gotten into a fight and threatened my life-"

"She threatened your life?" asked Tobe in a shocked voice. Garu slowly nodded.

"Yes. Last night, she tried to kill me, using my own weapon. I managed to escape, with barely a scratch on me-"

"Barely a scratch?" I argued, "Garu, you were shaking when you got here, you couldn't walk a step without flinching. You couldn't even sit up... That's more tha 'barely a scratch'" Talking about it brought the memories to the front of my mind, making me feel the emotions of them last night. All of the shock, fear, and worry was trying to take over, and the image of the beaten Garu was still in my mind. I quickly shook my head as the rest of the table glanced from Garu to me, as if they couldn't believe it. He nodded when I was finished.

"Okay. Pucca's right. It was a little more than a scratch. She cut up both of my arms pretty bad, and I had a huge gash across my side... Thanks to Pucca's care, I'm fine today. But this can't go on. I cannot, will not get married to her. I don't remember the engagement. And..." he hesitated, "I don't love her."

"So... What are the plans?" Tobe asked.

'He sure is getting involved in this' I thought.

"That's what we still have to figure out. The only honorable way to break an engagement, according to Master Soo, is to burn the symbol of the marriage. I, however, do not know the symbol, or if there even is one." Now it was RingRing's turn to speak up.

"There is a symbol to everything, no matter how small." Garu nodded in agreement before speaking.

"That, or we need to convince Brilanna that she doesn't want to marry me."

"A good punch in the face might tell her she won't want to marry you," I muttered, looking away from Garu's stare.

"Pucca, no violence." he said in a serious tone. I simply nodded, like a child who was being scolded.

"Fine. Have it your way."

"Thank you, Pucca. Does anyone have any other ideas that don't involve us beating Brilanna up?"

"What if we told her you were in love with someone else?" RingRing asked.

"Yes. Like... With Pucca?" Tobe blurted out. The entire table watched Garu's reaction, which involved his face turning a slight shade of pink and him refusing to look me straight in the eyes. It took a few moments for him to finally look at me.

"I... I... uh... No...." he stuttered. I looked down at my feet.

'Oh no... no... He doesn't like me... This can't be happening...'

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CLIFFHANGER!

Pucca: .... What???...... I ... Garu.....  
Garu: We helped write it, Pucca. You knew this part was coming, and you know what's going to happen next, don't you?  
Pucca: ... No, I don't. You've been keeping it a secret from me.  
Garu: haha... Oh. I have, haven't I? Well...... There's a reason for that. How did you like the cliffhanger?  
Me: I liked it a lot. It's fun to annoy the readers every now and then... JUST KIDDING, GUYS! You are the best, really..... Please review, please?  
Pucca: .... You still don't know where this is going, do you?  
Garu: She doesn't have a clue.  
Me: YES I DO! TOTALLY. I got it now. :)  
Pucca and Garu: Suuuuuuuuuure you do.  
Me: I DO! I FIGURED IT OUT, IT CAME TO ME, AND... and....-continues random babbling.-  
Pucca and Garu: Please review so that Squirt here will SHUT UP!


	19. He loves me, he loves me not

FINALLY. I'm sorry that I haven't updated in forever... Its finally Spring Break, though. So I decided to write a chapter. It only took me a few hours, and I basically figured out how its going to end. There will only be 2 chapters more, I think. Anyways, since this is a 2000 word chapter, Ill let you read.

REALIZATION

Chapter 19

After Pucca and RingRing left the table, we discussed things we could do. I tried to shy away from the subject of confessing my love for Pucca, but it was hard to do, considering Abyo, Ching, and Dada all thought it was a good idea. But before we knew it, RingRing and Pucca had finished their private discussion and made their way back to the table. We had gotten no where at the table. As Pucca sat, she looked at me, and I knew exactly what she had explained to RingRing, just by the look in her eyes.

We all jumped when Tobe knocked at the door. Pucca rushed to open it, let him in, then led him to our table.

"Have there been any ideas?" Tobe questioned as he looked to me. I stole a glance at Pucca before I said anything.

"As you know, I am apparently involved in an arranged marriage." I began to notice how crowded our table was at this point. "You also know that I do not want to be involed. However, the way Brilanna reacts to everything, there will most likely not be a simple way to end this. She has already gotten into a fight and threatened my life-"

"She threatened your life?" asked a stunned Tobe.

"Yes. Last night, she tried to kill me, using my own weapon. I managed to escape, with barely a scratch on me-"

"Barely a scratch?" Pucca blurted out, sitting up straight. "Garu, you were shaking when you got here. You couldn't walk a step without flinching. You couldn't even sit up. That's more than 'barely a scratch'...". As I looked at her, her face changed. I could read the fear in her eyes as she stared at me, and it surprised me. At first, I didn't notice the others looking confusedly from Pucca to I.

"Okay. Pucca is right. It was a little more than a scratch. She cut up both of my arms pretty bad. I had a huge gash across my side. Thanks to Pucca's care, I'm fine today. But this can't go on. I cannot... will not get married to her. I don't remember the engagement. And I don't love _her__**."**_

"So... What are the plans?" Tobe asked. I caught the annoyed glance Pucca gave towards him, and laughed inwardly.

"That's what we still have to figure out. The only honorable way to break an engagement, according to Master Soo, is to burn the symbol of the marriage. I, however, do not know the symbol, or if there even is one." I explained sadly.

"There is a symbol to everything, no matter how small." RingRing spoke. 'True' I thought to myself.

"That, or we need to convince Brilanna that she doesn't want to marry me." I was trying to lay out the options. Pucca's mumblings distracted me.

"... Good punch in the face might tell her she won't want to..." Pucca avoided my glare.

"Pucca, no violence." I looked back to the rest of the people, trying not to think about how much I'd love for Pucca to punch her...

'Woah, where did that come from?' I thought to myself. Normally I didn't have anger issues, or... Well, I didn't want violence, atleast. But the picture of Pucca punching her, while comical, was something I wanted to happen. But it wouldn't.

"Fine. Have it your way."

"Thank you, Pucca. Does anyone have any other ideas that do not involve us beating Brilanna up?"

"What if we told her you were in love with someone else?" RingRing muttered just loud enough for me to hear.

"Yes. Like... With Pucca!" Tobe exclaimed.

The entire table waited in a shocked silence, not wanting to speak, not knowing what to say. Tobe sat there, not at all embarassed at his comment, nor at the current situation. After avoiding it, I finally allowed myself to look at Pucca's face.

It was held in the moment, I could make it or break it with whatever I said. My words should have been chosen carefully, for I didn't want to hurt Pucca's feelings. Infact, I would have loved to tell Pucca that I loved her. I would love letting the entire village know. But there would be consequences to that. The silence had been dragging on too long. No one was going to say a word, and since the last comment had obviously been directed at me, it was my time to break the silence.

All of my thinking happened quickly, within the fraction of a second, but it still seemed forever. Pucca's face was pale, just staring at me.

"I... uh... No...." I stammered. I knew what I wanted to say, but the words just wouldn't come out quick enough. Pucca's face instantly dropped, her shoulders slouched, and I instantly regretted not finishing the sentence.

"Pucca... I... No, I ... Wait!" I said,, standing with my hand outstretched, but it was already too late. She was out the door, a trail of dust was all that was left.

My hand formed a fist, and I slammed it down on the table. Everyone else at the table jumped and exchanged glances, unsure of what to do. I sat down, resting my face in my hands, trying to think of what I had wanted to say.

"Well, you sure blew it-" Tobe started, but was cut off with a sharp smacking sound and a thud.

"Ow!" he complained

"Shut up, you idiot!" RingRing hissed.

"Garu?" came Ching's soft voice. I ignored her, caught up in my thoughts. She put her hand on my shoulder, shaking me lightly. I glanced at her from the shadows of my hands.

"Garu...I... I don't understand..."

"I don't want to tell Brilanna that I love Pucca." I could feel the stares of everyone on me.

"But... Why?" Ching asked.

"Forget explaining it to us, Garu. Go chase the girl!" RingRing butted in. But Ching kept at it, her anger rising with every word.

"But you need to figure out how you feel about her, Garu. You can't just keep leading her on like this Garu, its killing her! Garu, can't you see, you-"

"Ching, _hush._ Can't you see how he feels about her? Just let him go get her back!"

RingRing, for once, was right. I needed to go get Pucca back. I needed to explain to her what I meant... And I needed somewhere, specifically somewhere quieter, to think. But my main need was Pucca. RingRing and Ching were bickering back and forth about what they thought I should do.

"Where does-"

"Ching, you can _tell _he loves her. He has his own reasons. Quit being so nosey!-"

"I'm just looking out for Pucca, and-"

"Girls!" I yelled, standing up to make it that much more impressive. Instantly they stopped to look at me. Abyo, Tobe, and Dada all looked bored with the conversation, but I could tell they wanted to help.

"Thank you for stopping you argument for five measly seconds. Where does Pucca usually run off to when she gets angry?"

"I ... I really don't know, to tell you the truth." Ching said quietly. RingRing rolled her eyes.

"Oh, honestly now. Where do you _think_ she would go? The bamboo forest, _duh!" _RingRing commented in a snobby voice that I had to laugh at.

"Thank you RingRing." I rushed upstairs to my room, grabbing my sword. I the rushed back down, taking the stairs 3 at a time.

"What are you taking your sword for, Garu?" Abyo yelled before I made it to the door.

"Brilanna."

"Garu." Tobe called. I stopped, annoyed at the delay.

"Do you love her?"

I replied with one simple word.

"Yes."

Then I was out the door, the blur of colors flying past me as I ran towards my house. It was early enough that there weren't many people to dodge, but it was odd. How could people be sleeping when something so important had just happened? How could anyone be calm? Everyone should be up, rushing around, worrying, like I was. How was everything so peaceful?

It was harder to dodge things in a bamboo forest. As I ran, I thought about where she could be. The forest stretched on for miles, and she could be anywhere... She might not even be in the forest. She could have gone somewhere else.

I had known I was following a path, but I hadn't realized which path it was until I reached just before the clearing. There was my house, up ahead. I screeched to a halt, staying in the dark, just incase her green eyes happened to be looking. My eyes darted across the long, seeing the depressions in my grass, depressions that would go unnoticed by anyone else.

I sighed as I tried to figure out what to do... I could stop now, and tell Brilanna. Or I could go find Pucca. Both were important. Pucca was crying, her heart probably breaking, and it was all my fault. I needed to make that right. I wanted to make her happy again. But... The consequences of telling Brilanna now... What if she knew where Pucca was... If she reached Pucca before I could...

"If I told her now, she could find her, kill her. Pucca would be no match for her, not now. Pucca ..."

A sudden rush of wind went by me as I turned away from the house. The hair on my neck raised.

"Tell who what?"

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Chapter over...

Nah, just kiddin. Just switching point of view.

Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Pucca's Point of view

I ran through the streets, faster than I thought I could run. Everything was just one big gray blur. The tears in my eyes weren't helping me to see. But I knew where I was going, somehow. All I had to do was think about it, and I would get there.

I was concentrating on Garu's last words. I hadn't even given him time to explain. He asked me to wait. Should I have? But he said no... No, he didn't love me, as I thought he did. RingRing, Ching... They were all wrong. He didn't love me.

I took note as I passed Garu's house. It seemed so clean, simple, innocent. Nothing out of place. I didn't realize I had stopped until I saw Brilanna make her way outside. She opened the door and cautiously looked outside. She then turned, shut the door, and walked down the path

'Where is that little brat going...?' I wondered, but then decided it didn't matter, and I swiftly ran away from the clearing. I led myself to my favorite spot, a cliff above a waterfall. The place I always went when I cried, when I needed to calm down and think. Maybe I was just overreacting.

I laughed at myself sarcastically. 'Yes, I am overreacting at the fact that the one I love doesn't love me. Just normal teenage heartbreak. Nothing special about it' I told myself, yet I was trying to keep the tears hidden.

I sat and watched the calming waterfall, the rising sun, nature waking up. It was hard to keep from thinking about Garu. But there was nothing I could do. I couldn't stop loving him, it just wasn't that easy. But if I were to make him love me, I would be worse than Brilanna... I would be worse, because I knew for a fact that he didn't love me.

I picked up a rock and through it into the waterfall. I watched it fall, down, down, until it disappeared into the rising mist.

"Pucca." came a voice from behind me. I recognized the voice. I would recognize his voice anywhere.

"Garu?" I asked as I slowly turned around, wiping the remaining tears with my arm.

"Pucca... Oh, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean what I said earlier, not how you took it." I ran up next me and instantly fell to the ground, so he was the same height as me. I looked down.

'He asked me to wait earlier... I never let him explain. Should I now? I was probably just making a big deal about nothing... but...'

"What did you mean then?" I asked, slowly looking up to his face. He looked quickly behind him, muttered something that sounded a lot like "Damn", then turned back to me.

"I'll explain later, but come on, Pucca." He went to grab my hand as he stood up, but I pulled away.

"No... Now." I demanded. If he didn't mean no... "I need to know."

He glanced behind him again. "Pucca, I promise I will explain it later, but right now, you need to come. We need to get out of here." I looked into his pleading eyes. He held out his hand to me.

"Please?" he begged. I took his hand and he pulled me up towards him. He took off running, still holding my hand, through the bamboo forest.

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Hm.... Interesting stuff. I'd love to know what you think, know if I need to change anything. What do you think will happen next? Please, review. :) I'll give you a cookie. :D

-Squirt


	20. The shadows

OKAY GUYS! eeek! I'm so sorry that I haven't gotten another chapter up. I've been completely busy with school, getting ready for a friends wedding, and babysitting 3 dogs, but we finally have a 3 day weekend, and I managed to finish this chapter. I should be studying for exams, but... eh, ahwell. xD

I think there will only be one more chapter after this. This chapter is sort of what you've been waiting for, I suppose. I hope you enjoy. :) Its a whole 2905 words! WOOT!

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Realization

Chapter 20

Garu's Point of View

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"Tell who what?"

I jumped, surprised by the harsh voice. I tried to cover my surprise with a polite bow.

"Hello, Brilanna..."

She took a threatening step towards me, and I took a shaky one backwards, into a tree. She stared at me with her bright green eyes, stunning me. I was afraid to move, but afraid to stay there.

"Hello Garu. What were you afraid to tell? That you didn't want to marry me? Ha! I knew that."

I stood, staring at her.

"Then... the wedding is off?" I asked, slightly hopeful. Again, she laughed.

"Of course not, cupcake. No. You are still going to marry me. You'll get used to it, I promise. Besides, there is only one way to break an engagement." She walked a half-circle around me, then stopped, staring at me the whole time. I said nothing, so she continued.

"There is only one way. To burn the object of the engagement."

I figured it was probably a well known fact, but I was curious as to how she had found out about that.

"And how do you know that?"

"Oh," she smiled, "Master Soo is a very nice person. He loves to talk. Not very wise though." I simply stared at her. I gave no reaction to her comment, which seemed to make her that much more frustrated. I thanked my years of training. Master Soo hadn't been the brightest star, but he could be pretty helpful when you needed him... Sometimes.

"So you see... I know exactly what the symbol is. And judging by the way you and your little friends have been running around town, you have no clue!" She giggled, but it wasn't a childish, innocent laugh. She knew what she was dangling infront of me.

"What?" My emotionless face broke. Her mouth spread into an evil grin.

"Oh? Curious? Like I'd tell you." She began to walk away. I was still too surprised to move. She stopped a few yards away from me, and turned to look over her shoulder at me. As she did, she pulled out a small dagger of sorts from under the hem of her dress.

"Oh, and you may want to watch out for your little girlfriend... Her time is running out." My heart stopped, I couldn't breathe. Her green eyes bright flashed as she took off. She was gone in an instant.

I shook my head. I didn't have time to have a heart attack, or go into hysterics or anything. I needed to find Pucca, and fast.

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Pucca's POV

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"What do you mean, she knows the symbol? What is it?" I asked as we ran. Garu didn't answer. Instead, he stopped in the pathway without making a noise, glancing around a random clearing we found. He simply shrugged before grabbing my hand and taking off again. I was the only person who was able to keep up with Garu, and even this was starting to tire me out. We had been running for miles, I'd swear. Yet somehow, we were still in the bamboo forest.

"She didn't tell me what... Just that she knew. And then she said I needed to..." Either he was running out of breath or he hesitated, but I'm not sure which, "I needed to find you. So you must have something to do with the symbol." He glanced at me, then kept running.

"But I don't even know what it is... I don't understand why I'm in danger."

"I don't know. But I have to keep you away from her."

"I can take care of myself, you know." I said, coming to an abrupt stop, freeing my hand from his grasp. I was running out of breath, and I needed to rest. Within a few steps, Garu also came to a stop. He turned back to me.

"But I was afraid that you wouldn't be able to. Pucca, she tried to kill me. I know you are strong, but..." He stopped to glance around again, quickly grabbing my hand to run again. I kept my feet moving as fast as I could, but I was running out of energy.

"Garu," I whined, "I need to stop. I can't breath!" He hushed me and sped up.

"No. She's coming" Finally we made it to a clearing that I recognized. It wasn't much farther to get to the village. We were almost across, only a few steps to the trees on the other side of the clearing.

"Ah!" Suddenly, Garu was on the ground. I tripped over him, gasping for air that I hadn't realized I'd needed so badly till now.

"Garu, what did you do that for?" I yelled angrily. But as I sat up and looked at him, I knew something was horribly wrong.

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Garu's Point of View

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"I don't know, but I have to keep you away from her," I said between steps. We were running towards the Village. I could tell Pucca was having a hard time keeping up, but I needed to keep going. Suddenly, her hand slipped out of mine, and I came to a stop a few feet away, worried.

"I can take of myself, you know" she replied defensively. I turned to her.

"But I was afraid that you wouldn't be able to. Pucca, she tried to kill me. I know you are strong, but-"

I stopped mid-sentence, thinking I heard something. I wasn't sure, but I wasn't taking chances. I shifted the sword into a different spot on my back before grabbing Pucca's hands to take off again.

"Garu, I need to stop. I can't breath!"

"No. She's coming," I explained in whisper. We were at a clearing that looked safe, and we were running to the other side.

Next thing I knew, I was on the ground, gasping in pain.

"Garu, what did you do that for?" Pucca spit at me. But she was instantly at my side.

"Garu, what's wrong? What happened?" she panicked, helping me sit up. I instantly noticed the numbness coming from the back of my neck. My hand flew there and pulled a dart out.

"It's a simple dart." a voice sneered. Brilanna showed herself from the shadows.

"What kind?" Pucca said through clenched teeth. I was holding tight to her arm, keeping her from trying to attack Brilanna.

"Oh. Nothing too dangerous. I wouldn't want to kill my future husband. Just a simple dart." she repeated. I tried to stand up, but I couldn't. I'd made it to sitting on my knees before having to brace my arms against the ground infront of me. The numbness had already spread to my legs.

"Brilanna." I demanded.

"Oh, don't worry, Garu. You'll still be conscious. You just won't be able to stop me. You'll get to witness the death of your pretty girlfriend."

Again I tried to get up, but failed. I was still holding onto Pucca's arm. She was waiting. Brilanna pulled out her dagger as she stepped towards Pucca. I instantly put my arm protectivly infront of her.

"Back off, Brilanna."

"What do you want me for, so badly, anyway?" Pucca asked quietly. I caught no fear in her voice. She stood still behind me.

"Ha! You'd like to know, wouldn't you?" Brilanna mocked.

"Maybe I could help you get what you want." Pucca reasoned with her.

"You have what I want."

"What is it?" Pucca asked, still not backing down. Brilanna continued to step closer, holding the dagger up.

"That." She pointed to Pucca's throat, which Pucca's hand immediately felt around. Pucca's eyes widened.

"Yes," Brilanna urged. Pucca backed away.

"No."

My arms were finally beginning to go numb, and I fell to the ground.

"Pucca?" I asked, unsure of what they were talking about. Without even glancing at me, she replied.

"The necklace."

-Flashback-

I rushed up the Goh-Rong steps with the package, wrapped in a sparkled red bow, and left it in front of the door. Before running to hide in the bushes, I knocked on the door a few times. I waited, and when the door finally cracked open, I was relieved to find it was Pucca. She looked at the box for a moment before giggling and rushing inside to open it. I snuck to the back door and listened as she explained to her uncles that it was from me. I knew she opened it when the bell in the box started jingling. Next I knew, she was running outside, with that bell bouncing around her neck with every step.

I had given her that bell originally just to keep away from her, but I had forgotten the simple meaning behind it.

Fades to another flashback-

"Garu," The voice of my parents said, from the shadows. I didn't have very detailed memories of them, so I usually saw them as sillhoettes. I was too little to remember much of them. This specific memory, however, I could see them well. I remember my mother, with her light brown eyes, her long, dark hair. And my father, with bright blue eyes and black, shoulder length hair, pulled back. I had been in bed one night.

"Garu, one day, you will be married to a pretty little girl." My mother explained quietly. I remember having stuck my tongue out at the thought. Most girls were gross, back when I was 6.

"And you will have to give her a gift," my father continued. "That gift will be what symbolizes your marriage, son." I realized then that it had been a serious conversation, even though I was only a mere 6 years old.

"Like a necklace?" I had asked, not embarassed at all by my assumption. My parents laughed softly.

"It can be a necklace, if you'd like." my mother smiled gently.

"Okay" I had yawned. "I want to give the pretty girl I marry a necklace..." I think I fell asleep with my parents sitting beside my bed, whispering to themselves happily...

-Cuts out of flashback-

"The necklace" I repeated to myself.

That was the piece of the puzzle.

"AH!"

Pucca's scream brought me out of my thoughts instantly. Brilanna was throwing ninja stars at her, and it was getting difficult for Pucca to dodge; I could tell by the cuts on her dress and her arms.

"Pucca!" I tried to yell, but it was barely audible. I reached for my back. I had almost forgotten about it. I tried hard to ignore the tingling pain in my arm as I gripped the hilt of the sword.

"Pucca!" I tried, and this time, she heard me. After a quick glance, she raced to me and in a flash was gone again. She took the sword and used it to knock Brilanna's weapons away. However, Brilanna caught Pucca offguard by swinging her leg underneath and tripping her. Pucca landed with a loud thud. She went to get up, but Brilanna was pointing her dagger at her.

"Why is this reason to kill me?" Pucca asked innocently.

"Oh, surely, you know." Brilanna growled.

"She does not." I spoke up, and both of their heads shot to me. I was attempting to sit up, but couldn't get much farther than leaning against my arms as I was before.

"Know what?" Pucca said quietly, her head turning from Brilanna to me.

"Where we come from, the boy is to give the girl he wants to marry a gift of some sort. Anything. A flower, a ring, a house. Anything. And if that girl accepts the gift, she accepts to marry that boy." I explained as I continued to struggle to get up. Either because of my determination, or because of the dart wearing off, I was regaining my strength.

"And Garu was to marry me. Not you." Brilanna spat at Pucca, who flinched back.

"Who said he was going to marry me?" Pucca questioned.

"That." Brilanna said, again pointing to the necklace.

"The necklace?" Pucca said, again looking to me. "What does the necklace have to do with anything? I thought it was just to keep me away?"

Eventually, I had told Pucca why I had given her the necklace. Of course, she was a smart girl. She figured it out on her own. But I admitted to it when she asked, and we laughed about it.

"Originally, it was." I said, "I had forgotten what it meant. That was the gift I was to give. A necklace."

"And... I accepted it?" Pucca said with shock. I nodded.

"Yes." Brilanna growled again.

"Brilanna, stop it." I ordered. She glared at me.

"Now!" I whispered. Pucca tripped Brilanna, knocking Brilanna's last weapon, the dagger, out of her hand. Pucca stood over her, with the point of the sword against her throat.

"Pucca! Garu!" Brilanna cried. Pucca didn't budge. She looked determined, but her arms were shaking slightly from the situation.

"Pucca?"

"Garu!"

I turned to look for where the voices were coming from, while Pucca continued to watch Brilanna.

"Over here, Abyo!" I yelled back when I recognized who it was. Ching, Abyo, and Officer Bruce came rushing over to us.

"Guys! We found them! Over here!" The rest of our friends ran over, but backed away when they saw Pucca holding Brilanna to the ground.

"What happened here?" Abyo asked, oblivious to what was going on.

"Later, Abyo." Ching whispered.

"Here, Pucca. I've got her now." Officer Bruce said as he handcuffed Brilanna and helped her up. Pucca stood back, away from the rest off us, silent.

"Pucca?" I asked. She felt around her neck quietly, her hand landing softly on the empty bell. She then looked up at me.

"He was supposed to marry me!" Brilanna screamed. Officer Bruce pushed her lightly, to make her walk forward. She complained the entire way back to the village, until we couldn't hear her anymore.

Everyone stared at me.

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BAM! slight cliffhanger? ... Anyways, hope you enjoyed it. I don't know if I'll be able to reply to the reviews (I barely have enough time to write anymore) but if you ask anything or need me to relpy because of something, I will, just ask. :) Just know that I appreciate every single review greatly, and it's only because of your reviews that I continued to write this. :)

What do you think will happen in the next chapter? Did you think what happened in this chapter fit, or did it catch you offguard??

Pucca: O_o...... -still silently staring at Garu-  
Garu: Um... Uh... Pucca... You already know whats gonna happen.  
Pucca: Yes. I know...  
Garu: Then why are you staring at me.  
Pucca: Okay... Don't freak out... But there is this huge, fuzzy black spider on your shoulder... right... there... -points-  
Garu: WHAAAAAT!?!?  
Me: AHHHH!!!! EWW!!! KILL IT KILL IT KILL IT!!!!  
Garu: AHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!  
Pucca: -smack- He went byebye... haha...  
Garu: Phew...  
Me: AHHHHHHH-Still screaming, running around in circles- AHHHHHHH!!!!  
Pucca: Aww, look at that cute little rooster, coming to eat the dead spider... wait... why isn't it going to the spider... Why is it coming towards me? ...  
Rooster: -attacks Pucca's face-  
Pucca: -screaming-  
Garu:-manages to pull rooster off Pucca's face:  
Me: -Still running and screaming because of spider-  
Pucca: OWW!!!! -has bloody lip and black eye-  
Me: ... you got beat up? When did that happen? Aww, look at the chicken, isn't he cute?

Inspired by a true .


	21. Sunset's Ending

Okay, my awesome reviewers. What you've been waiting for. The final chapter. Yes. It is. And I wrote it in less than a week. It was surprisingly easy. :) I went over this once, but I don't have spell check, so I'm sorry if anything else is still mispelled.

Drum roll please!

-silence-

..... Oh, just read already!

P.S. This is in Pucca's POV, cause most of last chapter was Garu's.

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REALIZATION – Chapter 21- Final

"Over here, Abyo!" Garu yelled. I was too distracted to even notice someone calling our names. I didn't bother to look up, for fear that Lanna would escape, but I could see out of the corner of my eye as Ching, Abyo, and Officer Bruce appeared in the clearing. They stopped in their tracks when they saw me, and in any other situation, it would have made me laugh.

"Guys! We found them! Over here!" Ching yelled over her shoulder.

"What happened here?" Abyo whispered.

"Later, Abyo." Ching responded, elbowing him in the arm.

"Here, Pucca. I've got her now." Officer Bruce said quietly next to me. He handcuffed Lanna and forced her up off the ground as carefully as he could. I backed away quietly. I wiped the sweat from my forehead.

"Pucca?" Garu asked. I was still off in my own world as my hand went to the necklace around my neck. Then I quickly looked at him.

"He was supposed to marry _me_!" Brilanna screamed. Officer Bruce pushed her back to the village, hopefully to be sent to some other town, far away, and kept in a jail. I glanced one last time at her as she walked away. A few minutes ago, she had been trying to kill me. I dropped the sword.

Everyone's head flashed up to look at me.

"How did you find us? How did you know to come?" Garu asked as Lanna's voice finally faded away.

"We knew when you took your sword, something was up." Tobe explained when noone else answered.

"So we went and got Abyo's dad." Ching smiled. Garu nodded slowly.

"Pucca?" Garu asked again as he walked towards me. My hand was still resting over the empty bell around my neck.

"Hm?"

"You okay?"

I nodded silently. Everyone else gathered around us.

"What happened?"

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Garu and I took turns explaining what had happened on the walk back to the Goh-Rong We filled in every detail that they missed, every word they hadn't been there to hear. We sat down at the usual back table when we walked in. It was late afternoon, so not many people were in the Goh-Rong for the time being. It was nice. The last thing I wanted was to be around a bunch of bustling, loud people. I would have been too busy to notice them, anyways. I was staring at my drink, just thinking. My hand was absentmindedly playing with the necklace.

Would Garu want to burn the necklace now? Surely he didn't want to marry me... Why would he? I was pushy, stubborn, overprotective, annoying. I followed him everywhere... He could have someone so much better. When would he want to burn the necklace? Or maybe he would just take the necklace back. Act like this short engagement had never happened. It had all just been a misunderstanding anyways...

"Pucca, did you hear me?" Ching asked. I glanced up from the table to look at her. I shook my head.

"No, sorry Ching. What did you say?"

"I was just saying, so now what's going to happen?"

I slowly turned my head to realize Garu had gotten up from the table.

"Where did Garu go?" I said. I sounded so little, so weak, like I was still completely out of it. I was distracted, but it's not like I was lost or something... Not exactly, anyways. Only lost in the ways of future love. But that was it. Nothing big. I blew a stray hair out of my face.

"He went to the bathroom. So what are you guys going to do?" Ching pressed. I shrugged.

"I really don't know. I expect he'll want the necklace back... Or he'll want to burn it, or something..."

A set of exchanged glances around the table followed.

"What?" I asked, not even bothering to hide my annoyance.

"What makes you think that?" Dada said finally. Again, I shrugged.

"I don't know... I mean, when he gave it to me, he didn't know it meant marriage. So he probably will want to break that whole marriage bond thing, right? Now that he knows what it means?"

"Pucca..." RingRing hesitated.

"I don't think he wants to." Tobe blurted out after her. I was afraid I misunderstood what he meant.

"He doesn't want to ... what? Let me keep the necklace, doesn't want to get married?... I- I'm fine with that." I mumbled as I looked down back at my drink, but my eyes quickly met RingRing's as she spoke.

"No." RingRing comforted.

"He wants you to keep it, I think." Tobe nodded. "I asked him one thing, before he left to find you. I asked, 'Do you love her?' And do you know what he said?"

"No?" I muttered, staring at him. He chuckled.

"He said 'Yes'. Then he went to rescue you." Tobe smiled.

"Are you sure he knew you meant me?" I muttered.

"Of course." I looked down at the table, tapping my fingers, waiting in the silence. I didn't glance up. I didn't want to know what kind of looks they were giving eachother.

What if he _did_ want me to keep the necklace? ... Would that mean, he would... want to ....?

"Garu, took you long enough!" Abyo yelled. My head shot up to look at Abyo, then to see where he was facing. Garu was walking towards the table. But he didn't sit down. He stopped across from me.

"Pucca?" he asked, again. He raised his hand to motion to the door. I nodded and got up quietly out of my seat without looking anywhere else. He followed me to the door, and we walked outside into the busy streets.

"Shall we?" he asked as he again motioned with his hand, this time toward the path to the bamboo forest. Again I nodded and stepped forward. We walked in silence until we reached the shade of the trees. We could barely see the setting sky through the treetops.

"Soo..." I started, to break the silence.

"Pucca..." he started, hesitated, then went on. "Pucca, a lot has happened in the past few days. A week ago, we were just two innocent teens. Then Brilanna came..."

"You thought you were going to get married, my heart was broken, and then I kicked Brilanna's butt..." I finished, with a slight edge in my voice.

"Yes." he said slowly. We walked a few more feet, but he still didn't say anything. He was looking at the ground, with a concentrated look on his face.

"Why exactly did you ask me to come out here, Garu?" I questioned quietly. He looked at me for a second.

"Just wait a sec." He smiled nervously, then went back to looking at the ground. I almost hadn't noticed that our walking was speeding up quite a bit, not to mention there was no more path. Where was he leading me? But I waited patiently for him to get done thinking.

I was waiting for him to blurt out that he didn't want to marry me. That he wanted the necklace back. That he just wanted to be friends. Anything that would break my heart even further.

Of course, that wasn't what I wanted. I wanted him to hug me, or to kiss me. To say he wanted me to keep the necklace and it's meaning, forever.

But that wasn't likely.

I was far too pushy and annoying. There were plenty of other girls out there. Plenty of girls from his cultural background. Many who would make him a very honorable ninja. I looked up, out of my thinking, to see where we were.

We were coming to a familiar spot in the bamboo. Just past these trees was my cliff. I hadn't realized we'd been walking for so long.

"Pucca." Garu stopped, making me jump. We were on the edge of the trees, on my cliff edge. My favorite spot to be. One of my favorites, anyway. I stopped to look at him, waiting for him to continue. He did.

"Pucca. All that has happened ... It's made me think, more than I usually do, about my future." He glanced away from me, and looked at the sky, before returning his eyes to my face.

"My future... And who it could contain. I thought about many people. But you, you were the only one I couldn't figure out, Pucca." Now it was my turn to look away. I studied the clouds for a second before looking at him cautiously.

"Pucca... You. The most annoying, crazy, quick little girl I have ever met. The biggest temper, the impossible attitude, the crazy assumptions..."

I quickly looked away, afraid of what he would keep saying. No one had ever said these things straight to my face this way. He went on.

"The moodswings... The violent strength..."

I could almost feel tears coming to my eyes, and I was trying to hold them back. How could he say all this too me!? If he wanted the necklace back, he could have just said that... Why must he do this, say this??-

"Pucca," he whispered. He lifted his hand and gently touched my cheek, turning my face to look at him. He wiped away the single tear with his thumb. I couldn't turn away, I couldn't run. He carefully held my face in his hand.

"Pucca. Unwilling to let me go. The only one who I have ever met that can beat me without a sweat. The great determination, the quick thinking, the hard worker. The only one that can stand me for more than a day. The way you care. The only one who has always believed in me, who has helped to make me who I am today. The one who has loved me through thick and thin. The one I love."

My eyes grew wider as I realized what he was saying. He slowly took his hands away from my face as he reached into his pocket. I couldn't see what he pulled out. He looked out at the beautiful sunset, as did I, before he took a step back.

No...

He leaned forward...

Oh my...

He got down on one knee.

My hands flew up to cover my mouth, and I gasped. He looked down at his hands, and finally revealed a little black box. He looked up at me, his hand shaking as he raised the box to me. He smiled.

"Pucca..."

He opened the box slowly.

"Will you be my wife?"

I didn't even bother looking at the ring. I didn't care what it looked like. I tackled him to the ground with the biggest hug I'd ever given him, all the while crying with joy and screaming "Yes!" at the top of my lungs. Garu laughed and hugged me tighter.

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We stayed on the ground, just soaking up the moment, watching the clouds in the dimming night sky. The full moon was almost up, lighting everything. I was lying next to him, holding his hand on the ground, our fingers intertwined. I carefully and slowly spun the new ring around my left finger, getting used to the smoothness of it.

"Garu." I whispered.

"Hm?" he responded.

"They are going to be wondering what happened if we don't get back soon..." I laughed. He grinned.

"Must we leave?" he asked teasingly. I nodded.

He sat up, pulling me up with him. I turned to go back to the forest, but he caught my elbow and swung me around to face him. It surprised me, and almost caught me off balance, but Garu held on so I wouldn't fall. He smiled happily, and stepped closer. He took his other hand to tip my chin up, so I would look at him.

"I love you, Pucca." he mumbled before kissing me. My legs turned to jelly, and I wrapped my arms around his neck to keep from falling right then. He pulled back slowly and smiled again. I hugged him tightly.

"I know. I love you too, Garu."

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BAM!! HA, I bet Garu surprised you, huh? He's sittin there, basically insulting her. Nope, those are the strong-headed things he loves about her, thats all. :)

I hope you liked the ending as much as I liked writing it :) It just sorta came together on its own, to be honest. :)

Please, PLEASE, leave me lovely reviews. :) I'd also love to see any pictures, if anyone feels like drawing things from this. :) hm.. maybe I'll draw some linearts... You'll have to visit my deviantart page (squirtsapphire . deviantart . com) :)

Off to finish Legend of Zelda: PTTP, FINALLLYYYY.. there will be many character concepts for that on my dA page soon. :)

And for the final time... I'm out!

-Squirt


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